


Yuanfen [UAU V; The Complete UAU Guide]

by dieukyungsoo



Series: EXO UAU [5]
Category: EXO
Genre: Adultery, Alternate Universe - College/University, Car Accidents, Coffee, Consensual Sex, Drowning, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Liar, M/M, Mild Language, Purple, dieukyungsoo, kpop, thelonggame, uau
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2019-09-15 07:43:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 83
Words: 177,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16929252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dieukyungsoo/pseuds/dieukyungsoo
Summary: Byun Baekhyun isn't a liar. Park Chanyeol is indescribable. Kim Jongdae was hesitant. Kim Minseok said leave it up to fate. Kim Junmyeon helps his friend over the summer. Perhaps it's not Kris Wu who's being helped. Do Kyungsoo works at a small café.  Kim Jongin wants some alcohol. Oh Sehun? He's just trying to make it to graduation.-Yuanfen, the Complete UAU Guide, compiles all four UAU books - Liar, The Long Game, Purple, and the companion novel, Coffee, in order for your reading pleasure! Yuanfen also includes bonus content and chapters, such as a bonus epilogue and chapters, deleted scenes, and more!





	1. Introduction

Welcome to  _Yuanfen; The Complete UAU Guide_! In this UAU novel, all four previous novels are compiled in reading order to make reading easier for you - don't worry about having to jump around or from book-to-book!  _Yuanfen_  includes the books  _Liar, The Long Game, Purple_ , and the UAU companion novel,  _Coffee_ , along with bonus chapters and content!

As per usual, all chapters will begin with necessary warnings that follow the Ofcom Warning Guide, which you can find [here](https://metro.co.uk/2016/10/02/swearing-ranked-from-mild-to-strongest-6165629/). Sexual jokes are marked as 'implied sexual references', whereas actual sex is marked as 'sexual references'. However, no smut (or violence) will appear in any of these stories! Please note that chapters marked 'strong language' means words such as dick and fuck are used, even if they may only appear once or twice.

If you or anyone you know struggles with aspects of grief, drug and alcohol abuse and addiction, ill mental health, and/or any other struggles, please reach out for help! I highly recommend the [Kids Help Phone](https://kidshelpphone.ca/). 

Any and all events and persons are fictional [representations] and uses of my own ideas. These are not meant to replicate those of any others, and if so, is purely coincidental.  

Finally, I'd like to thank anyone and everyone who may have helped in the writing of any of these books in any way. My friends, Sydney, Shyanne, Imane, Lexie, Rachel my queen, and 'lord $uhoe'. To all my readers, no matter how much you've read or where you're from. Each and every single one of you are so amazingly important to me. Thank you.

Enjoy  _Yuanfen; The Complete UAU Guide_.

 

-Mai


	2. [LIAR] I / God is a Faux and Other Utter Shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Medium language

_ -Day 1; Wednesday, May 31st, 2017- _

People of religion say that whoever or whatever they pray to has a plan for them. And that's very true. The world is an ever-changing entity that leads each person to what they should be. Every little decision and movement and happening affects anything and everything.   


Someone spills a glass of water in France and a tsunami hits South Africa.   


A mother enrolls her child in dance lessons in China and someone else loses a job in the United States.   


Other people say they believe in the red string. The red string attached to everyone's pinky finger, leading them to their soulmate.   


Byun Baekhyun says both. He believes he needs to sit back and let the world show him its plan for him, and the red string attached to his pinky finger will someday lead him to the person who will alter his life forever.   


Somewhere else, Park Chanyeol says he doesn't give a shit. "God is just a faux people believe in when they have nothing else to." the tall man told his friend, Do Kyungsoo, one day.    


The two were throwing boxes into the back of a pickup truck they had borrowed from another friend, Huang Zitao. How the hell he got this ugly looking thing, the two had no clue, but it held the boxes well. They, amongst a handful of their other friends, were preparing to leave their university for the summer. Some permanently, others expected to return next year. Both Chanyeol and Kyungsoo fell into that last category, Chanyeol having finished his third year attending and Kyungsoo his second.   


"And although some people don't believe in a higher power, they latch onto other things. Other sayings and myths and utter shit." Chanyeol continued.   


"Myths and sayings?" Kyungsoo questioned, smoothing down the tape on one of the boxes. "Like, 'find a penny, pick it up, put it-" the shorter man was quickly cut off, being shoved into the back fender.    


"I know how it goes." Chanyeol said. "And yes, that's complete shit. How the hell is a penny supposed to bring good luck? We live in Korea- how are we even supposed to find a penny?" he began to make his way back into the school dorm building.   


"That's why they bring good luck." Kyungsoo piped up, trailing behind Chanyeol. "They're hard to find."   


"And you're hard to find if I lose you in a crowd, but that doesn't mean you bring me good luck." he snapped back.   


Do Kyungsoo opened his mouth, about to retort back, before he was cut off with an arm being wrapped tightly around his shoulders and being pressed in close to someone.   


"Is that the last of them?" Zitao asked, hugging both Chanyeol and Kyungsoo.   


"Just a few more." Chanyeol said, flipping Tao off of him. Kyungsoo, however, struggled more to fling the bleach blond off. He clawed at his arm, trying to push it off, but to no avail. It seemed as if Zitao didn't even feel him.   


"Heard about Lu's party?" Zitao continued as Kyungsoo finally slid out of his grip- quite literally, he slid to the ground and crawled away a few steps, and then stood up, brushing dirt and grass stains off his new jeans.   


"Lu says he's holding an end of year party every year." Chanyeol said, crossing his arms. "Last year he ended up getting locked out of his own dorm the day before and had to call it off."   


"And the year before he fell down the stairs and hit his head so hard he was in the hospital for two weeks." Kyungsoo added.   


"Yeah, well this year Yixing and I have him on lockdown so he can't accidentally kill himself again." Zitao said. "Trust me, this party is a go. Even if we have to prop his dead body up in the corner."   


"God, if it comes to that I'm not going." Kyungsoo said.    


"It won't, it won't!" Zitao exclaimed. "I swear on my life."   


"What is with you and death today?" Chanyeol asked, shaking his head. The giant turned on his heel, pushing the building doors open.   


"Tonight at nine thirty!" Zitao shouted as Kyungsoo followed behind Chanyeol. "Be there or be square!"   


"No one says that anymore, Tao!"


	3. [THE LONG GAME] I / Twice As Shiny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Medium language

_ -Day 1; Wednesday, May 31st, 2017- _

The dorm door opened, the brunet sticking his head in, letting himself in. "Hey, Min!" he half shouted, half whined.   


Before he could continue on, the older man came around the corner, towel drying his hair with a dark red towel. "Before you say anything, a) yes, I've heard about Lu's party, b) Zitao told me even if Lu somehow drops off the face of the Earth, this party is still happening this year, and c) no whining in my dorm."   


Kim Jongdae pouted, crossing his arms, letting out a loud whine. "You never let me do anything, Min! And besides, that wasn't what I was asking. I wanted to know if you had the hair dryer, or if Kris never returned it."   


"It's in the washroom." Kim Minseok said, gesturing to the washroom with his head. "I'm still using it though, so you can't pack it up yet."   


"Min!" Jongdae whined again. "You're stressing me out here! Besides, you have that towel." Jongdae uncrossed his arms, moving his hands and arms about while speaking. Unlike Minseok, Jongdae was quite an animated person while speaking, especially when he whined.   


"Five minutes." Minseok said, releasing his hair from the towel. "I'm almost done, I swear." He ran a hand through his hair, which left a purple residue on his hands.   


"It's purple, Min." Jongdae blurted, in awe and shock of the sudden hair colour change. He didn't move his arms around and such this time, but instead squinted at Minseok's hair.   


"Shit, I thought it was blue." the other commented, rolling his eyes. "I know it's purple, I just did it!" He grabbed the blow dryer, flicking it on.   


"Lose another bet, Minnie?" Jongdae remarked, leaning against the wall while his friend blow dried his hair. Dae crossed his arms and ankles, letting his head loll against the wall lazily.   


"Shut up before I make you, _ Arschloch _ ." Min scoffed, turning the hair dryer off and unplugging it after a few moments. It didn't take him long to dry his hair; it was mostly towel dried already. He wrapped the black cord around it, handing it to Jongdae. "There. Is that all you wanted?"   


Jongdae shook his head, taking the dryer from him. "Min, I wanted to know if you were going to Lu's party. And I'm going to pretend I know what that means."   


"Are you going?" Minseok asked, raking his hands through his hair. Purple residue still came off on his hands, although much fainter this time. He promptly wiped his hands on his jeans.   


"I'll go if you go, Min."   


"Dammit, I was gonna say that."   


"So, are we going or not, Min?"   


"Dunno. You wanna go or not?"   


"Minnie, you choose."   


" _ Non _ , you."   


The two men went back and forth like that for awhile, not wanting to drag the other somewhere he didn't want to go, but not wanting to go alone, either.   


"Fine!" Minseok exclaimed, holding his arms out to his sides after Jongdae started whining about how Minseok just had to be the one to choose. He huffed, running a hand through his hair, only to be left with purple residue and regret.   


He strolled over to the coffee table in the centre of the room, and scooped to dice off the table. They were left there after a board game was abandoned and never cleaned up. He shook the dice in his hands. "Seven or higher we go, six or lower we don't."   


Jongdae didn't say anything, just nodded and peered over at Minseok's strong yet slim hands, shaking the dice.   


It was those hands that released the dice, allowing them to tumble back down onto the table. The first die tumbled into a three. The second rolled off of the table and onto the floor, hitting Jongdae's toe.   


"Min, it's a five." he said softly, squatting down to pick it up between his small, feeble fingers. He looked up at his purple haired friend, trying to place his tongue on something purple he reminded him of.   


"Five plus three is..." Minseok trailed off, biting his bottom lip as he counted on his fingers.   


"Min. It's eight." Jongdae informed, standing back up. "Can you not do basic math?"   


Minseok pushed his friend lightly, throwing him off centre slightly. "I'm a linguistics major, not a math major." He rolled his eyes.   


"And I'm a history major, Min, and I still know it." he said, regaining his balance.   


"So, eight is greater than seven. That means we're going. What time did they say it started at?" He reached over and took the die from Jongdae, pocketing it and the other he had scooped up.   


"No changing the subject, Min!" Jongdae shouted, walking backwards towards the door. "And I heard Zitao shout nine thirty earlier!"   


"Be here for nine then and we'll walk over together later!" Minseok called back over his shoulder. He was crouched down again, beginning to pack the board game up.    


Jongdae called out a farewell, and then left the dorm, closing the door shut behind him.   


Minseok straightened up, holding the now packed up board game in his hands. He looked down at it, and then strolled over to a half-packed box, shoving it inside.   


He completely forgot about the two dice he had stowed away in his back pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS;  
> Arschloch (German, Asshole)  
> Non (French, No)


	4. [PURPLE] I / A Picturesque Score of Passing Fantasy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Medium language

_ -Day 1; Wednesday, May 31st, 2017- _

Kim Junmyeon was the kind of guy who seemed like he had his shit together. 

In all honesty, Junmyeon wasn’t a hundred percent sure if he really did. 

He graduated in three days, and he tried to stay as organized as possible. All of his belongings were packed away, ready to truck away in a few days (a method of which he still needed to figure out), only a few things still left out. 

He had a pack of cigarettes on the counter behind him as he did the last of the dishes. There was a stack of books on his bed, about two or three or so. There was one box he kept rifling through for clothes; one he’d have to re-fold from all the clothes strewn over it. 

With such a short amount of time left before they graduated, most people in his year knew what they were doing after. Whether it was where they were going to work or where they were travelling, they had  _ something _ planned out. 

Junmyeon had worked for four years for his diploma, achieving a doctorate in social work. He could’ve finished easily in a few terms, but he took criminology his first year. He had only received a bachelor's degree in that, but nonetheless finished it quickly as well. 

He tended to take his time on things as of late, even with the dishes he was doing; he knew it took him much longer to do them today than it did yesterday. 

He was in the midst of putting away some of the dishes when his roommate, Seo Juhyun, came in.

She dropped her keys onto the small key table, jangling and clanging. She hung her bag up as well, on the wooden jacket rack they had installed creaking slightly with the added weight.

It was a crappy jacket rack.

Junmyeon's friend and former roommate Min Yoongi had made it at the beginning of the year in the wood shop and left it here when he moved dorms.   


Min Yoongi was majoring in Civil Engineering, until he switched to Urban and Regional Planning, thus causing him to move dorms and halls. He was replaced with Juhyun, who preferred to be called Seohyun (for a reason that was unknown to Junmyeon).   


Junmyeon knew it took Yoongi a few days to build it. He had watched Yoongi cut and sand everything while he finished his last homework pages.   


"What time is it?" Seohyun asked, stepping further into the dorm and into the kitchen.   


Junmyeon quickly dried his hands and pulled his phone out, glancing at the screen. "A little after five thirty." he said, pocketing it again and averting his gaze from the girl who dug through the cupboards near him. Their backs were turned to each other.   


"Are you going to that party?" she asked, pulling snacks from the fridge.   


"Lu's?" Junmyeon questioned, returning to drying his dishes and putting them away.

Seohyun made a noise under her breath in confirmation. "It's a go this year, too. You know Lu wouldn't let his last opportunity for a party go to waste."   


Xi Lu Han was in the same year as Junmyeon, but however, had a different major and therefore the two never really saw each other. They had met briefly on orientation day four years ago. Their meeting had only lasted a few seconds, and Junmyeon doubted Luhan even remembered the brief conversation where Lu had implied he was a perverted pedophile pimp after he said he was majoring in "social work. You know, like therapists and children's workers." Apparently Lu Han was the one with the dirty mind.   


"Anyways, I told my friends I'd be there for nine thirty, ten." Seohyun frowned. "If you decide to go, I'll give you a lift. Lu's dorm is across campus; we're taking Lee Seunghyun's car. You know that can hold a ton of us."   


"Thank you, although I don't think I will." Junmyeon admitted, placing the last dish away.

"Loser." Seohyun taunted playfully, shoving Junmyeon's shoulder lightly and turning away into her room. He swayed forward, towards the sink he stood in front of. He held the towel in his hands, winding it around his wrists before releasing it into the sink, where it hung off the edge.    


He stayed at the sink, looking down past the counter's edge, but not quite at the cupboards underneath or the floor below him.    


There was no particular reason Junmyeon just stood there, and perhaps that was why.   


His mind was blank, not knowing what to do next. It was if he was a Sim and someone had cleared and deleted his action queue bar.   


He thought and felt nothing momentarily, not even that empty, hallowing feeling he had lately when he awoke at two in the morning and lied completely still and unmoving in his bed, staring up at the ceiling cast in darkness.   



	5. [LIAR] II / In Which Kyungsoo Gets Dick, Chanyeol Gets Drunk, and Sehun Realizes He's Forever Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; alcohol consumption; implied sexual references

_-Day 1; Wednesday, May 31st, 2017-_

Some people are a believer of tradition. Whether it be something people do on a holiday or say after something happens.  
  

Park Chanyeol was not a believer in tradition. He didn't believe in anything, really. Everything just simply existed to him and that's how it worked.  
   

However, there were quite a few traditions around his university campus. One, which had aroused four years ago, was Xi Luhan's "End of Year Super Party Bash", which was really just some music on loud, unlimited drinks, and the lights turned off and replaced with cheap colourful strobe lights that were guaranteed to fall on someone at Lu's dorm.  
   

Luhan hadn't started the tradition, but had carried it on from a friend from his first year, Lee Donghae. However, he had to call them off during his second and third years. His second year, he had gotten locked out of his dorm. Instead of waiting for the school year to officially finish, the school had sent him home early. His third year, last year, he and Oh Sehun (who was in his first year) were roughhousing in the hallway when Luhan fell down two flights of stairs. He hit his head so hard he was hospitalized for two weeks.  
   

Lu's accidents had become more of a tradition within itself than the actual party.  
   

This year, Luhan was determined to have this run, under any circumstances. Considering there hadn't been a "Super Party Bash" in two years, everyone and their best friend was showing up.  
   

Perhaps that's how Park Chanyeol ended up in the dorm Luhan had found to hold his "Super Party Bash", seeing as his single dorm wasn't enough to fit everyone. He was given a single dorm because of his "sustaining injuries" from falling down the stairs last year. That and the school didn't want to be sued from him and his family.  
   

It wasn't late, just nearing ten, but there was already a bustle of people in the dorm. Park Chanyeol stood in the dorm doorway with Do Kyungsoo.  
   

The smaller man wore a black tee shirt with a grey jacket over top and a pair of jeans.  
   

Chanyeol, who wore a dark blue button up with the sleeves pushed up past his elbows, jeans, and had a silver watch strapped to his wrist, promptly teased Kyungsoo, saying that wasn't very good party attire.  
   

But it was the man with the horrible party attire who was handed a red plastic cup full of some unknown liquid with an unknown alcohol content. It was the man with the horrible party attire who was grabbed at the wrist by a hand adorned with rings which belonged to a face Chanyeol could not see and dragged off into the crowd.  
   

Perhaps that's how Park Chanyeol ended up engulfed in yet another massive hug/tackle ensued by Huang Zitao, and perhaps that's how Park Chanyeol found himself cursing Do Kyungsoo's name. Although don't get him wrong, he didn't believe that cursing his name would do anything.  
   

"Where's Soo?" Tao asked, finally releasing Chanyeol and shoving a red cup in his hand. Chanyeol gestured to a spot where there was a crowd of girls dancing, assuming Kyungsoo was dragged off somewhere over there.  
   

"In that horrible jacket?" a voice scoffed, approaching Tao and Chanyeol. He was shorter than both Tao and Chanyeol, only by a few centimetres, but Chanyeol knew for a fact that the second year before him was taller than Kyungsoo. "I mean, grey looks good on Kyungsoo. Dark colours totally suit him. But that jacket and those pants..." Oh Sehun, with his hair dyed bright orange, inhaled sharply in disapproval.  
   

"Sehun, I thought you left already." Chanyeol frowned.  
   

"No, Mom got held up and can't come by and pick me up until Monday." he said, rolling his eyes.  
   

"This is why we get drivers licenses, Sehun." Chanyeol remarked, and Sehun kicked him in the shins.  
   

"That's my cue!" Tao said, holding his arm up as to not spill his drink, despite Chanyeol being taller than him. "Drink as much as you want, but I'm not paying to get your stomach pumped!" Tao called as he waded further into the increasing crowd.  
   

Before Chanyeol or Sehun could say anything, they were cut off by the music being turned down lower. Heads turned, and none other than Xi Luhan was standing on top of a counter. He, too, had a red plastic cup in hand, but by the way he swayed slightly, it wasn't his first. Knowing Luhan, it wouldn't be his last, either.  
   

"Hey!" he cried, cupping one half of his mouth with one hand. "Thanks for coming, this is the first time in two years I've actually been able to make it work." A few whoops and hollers rang out above the still chattering crowd, but Luhan's voice rose above the rest easily. "Few rules!" Cue groans. "Drink as much as you want, but I'm not paying for your stomach pump!"  
  

"That's my line, asshole!" Tao shouted.  
   

"Also, feel free to pass out here, but I'm not held responsible if someone draws on you! Markers are in the cupboard!" He gestured to the cupboard behind him with his drink. "Do the bed boogie somewhere else, these beds are off limits! I don't want to do laundry. However, condoms are in the key table. Rubber up, kids. And have fun!" The music cranked up again after he finished, and he brought his drink to his lips, downed the rest of it, crumpled it up, threw it, and then hopped down off the counter, shouting the lyrics to whatever song was playing.   
   

"That's Luhan for ya." Chanyeol muttered.  
   

"Tell me about it." Sehun rolled his eyes, and a dazed looking Kyungsoo came staggering out of the crowd towards Chanyeol. Upon seeing Kyungsoo, Sehun made gagging noises. "Please, take that jacket off. My great aunt wore that. Know what happened to her? She died."   
   

"Good, she sounds like a horrible lady." Kyungsoo snickered. His words were beginning to slur. Chanyeol furrowed his brow, grabbing an almost drained cup from his roommate's hand, handing his full one off to Sehun. Sehun looked confused with the cup in his hand, panicking internally.  
   

"What even is this?" Chanyeol said, bringing the cup to his face. He smelt it, and then downed a bit down his throat. He coughed and made a face at the burning sensation that set his throat alight.   
   

"I don't know, but it's good." Kyungsoo said, losing is balance momentarily. "I've had like, twefty."  
  

"Twenty?" Sehun asked, setting Chanyeol's cup onto a counter behind them. "Or twelve?"  
   

"I don't know what the difference is." Kyungsoo admitted, reaching over for the cup Sehun had just set down. Before Chanyeol or Sehun could retrieve the drink from their already tipsy friend, Kyungsoo was already on the move again. "Aight, I'm gonna go get some dick. I heard that Kim guy broke up with that other Kim guy and I honestly don't know anymore besides the fact that one of them is probably looking for a rebound night." And with that, Do Kyungsoo was off, and on a mission.  
   

"We're just gonna let him go?" Sehun asked.  
   

Chanyeol nodded, downing the rest of what was in Kyungsoo's original cup. "Yep. He's fine on his own; we'll deal with him in the morning. He's Do Kyungsoo- he may be drunk off his ass soon, but he still has morals and common sense."  
   

"He just said he was 'off to get dick'." Sehun pointed out as someone dropped cups off on the counter behind him. "I didn't even know Kyungsoo was gay- didn't he have a girlfriend at some point?"  
   

Chanyeol reached over for a cup while Sehun spoke, lifting it to his lips. The liquid still burned, but Kyungsoo was right- it was good. He peered over at the dyed ginger over the rim of his cup. "Ever heard of pansexuality?" he asked, bringing the cup away from his face and holding it out. He couldn't place what kind of drink it was (it tasted and felt like a mixture of a whackload of different ones), and inspected the cup as if the answer would magically appear on it. He brought it back to his lips, downing the rest of it. He reached out and took another.  
   

Sehun scoffed. "Of course I have. Now," he reached out for Chanyeol's cup. "dealing with a drunk Kyungsoo is enough for me, I don't want to have to deal with you, too." He pressed his fingers against his palm, gesturing for the glass.  
   

Chanyeol moved the cup away from Sehun defensively, holding it to his chest. "No." he protested, drinking from it again. "I'm not going to get wasted, Sehun. I'm a grown man, I can take care of myself. I don't need some fake ass Weasley trying to tell me what to do."  
   

Despite saying he wasn't going to get wasted, you could tell the alcohol's effects were already starting to set in.  
   

Normally, Sehun would get defensive back, throwing insults and maybe even trying to take the drink by force. Instead, his face dropped. "Chanyeol, please." he begged, his eyes pleading.   
   

Chanyeol rolled his eyes. "I'm not getting drunk." he sipped from the wide range of drinks mixed into one, the fruitful taste exploding and burning down his throat. Of course, he had now grown accustomed to the fire-like sensation, even numb to it in a way.  
   

"Fine then." Sehun spat, shooting Chanyeol a glare. "I see Jung Hoseok; I'll buddy with him." And with that Sehun was drowned into the crowd, gone as suddenly as Kyungsoo had.   
   

And with that Chanyeol had no other choice but to stand there, reaching for what was his- what? Fifth, seventh drink? He stood there, taking the drinks down one by one, watching people do what their idea of dancing was to the music and down their own drinks and spill them and laugh and hug each other and kick and get angry at one another.  
   

Some faces he recognized, those he thumbed as friends, like Kim Junmyeon, who was trying (and failing) at shoving some girl off of him.   
   

Others he just recognized from around campus, knew their name and face but not them. Others he had seen before but didn't have a name to, and some he had never seen before at all.  
   

He knew he had seen the small boy with the red in his hair and bright eyes talking with Kim Minseok and Kim Jongdae before- perhaps he passed him in the halls or had him in a class.  
   

Chanyeol turned, fighting through the crowd to locate another drink, when the small boy with the red in his hair and bright eyes previously talking with Kim Minseok and Kim Jongdae was shoved into his chest, causing Chanyeol the Giant to lose his balance. He narrowly avoided knocking someone else over.  
   

Chanyeol's (now located) drink sloshed in the cup, small droplets flying out.  
   

The small boy with the red in his hair and bright eyes no longer talking to Kim Minseok and Kim Jongdae looked up at him, smiling meekly. "Hey?" he questioned. "Sorry about that, I..."  
   

It wasn't that he had trailed off, in fact he hadn't stopped talking at all, his mouth kept running and running, but Chanyeol had stopped listening.   
   

He had become so easily lost in those eyes, those eyes that reminded him of chocolate. Chanyeol had always liked chocolate.  
   

It was also until the boy was mere centimetres away from his face did he realize that his lips were seemingly perfect, a rosy shade of perfect pink.


	6. [THE LONG GAME] II / Headache

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Alcohol consumption; strong language; sexual references

_ -Day 1; Wednesday, May 31st, 2017- _

Kim Minseok stepped into the dorm, standing beside his friend Kim Jongdae, at around ten at night.   


The lights were off, the strobe lights of death already on and flashing. The music was loud, and instantly began to give Minseok a small headache.   


"C'mon, Min." Jongdae said gently, grabbing his wrist. "Let's go find some drinks."   


Both Minseok and Jongdae were not very heavy drinkers. Minseok inhaled coffee, whereas Jongdae was more of a tea drinker. They both preferred wrapping their hands around warm cups of steamy drinks, instead of holding a plastic cup that crumples easily.    


Jongdae let go of Minseok, gasping and surging through the crowd. Minseok tried his best to follow, pushing through people. He quickly lost Jongdae, and stood on tiptoe to try and peer above the heads of people to find his friend. However, it was only a few moments before Jongdae had returned, two red plastic cups in hand. The crowd pushed around them, and Jongdae stood close to Minseok, handing him one of the cups.   


Minseok took the cup, looking down inside it. The cup was a little over half way full. He looked back up at Jongdae, who had already placed the cup to mouth. He brought it back down, making a face and inhaling sharply. "Ooh, that's strong, Min."   


Minseok followed suit, taking a swig of the cup as well. Jongdae was right- from the small sip alone, he could already feel the force of the alcohol. His headache became stronger. "What is it?" Minseok asked, raising his voice to be heard over the music.   


Jongdae shrugged. "I'm not sure, Min." He, too, spoke loudly. "I just saw Tao and some other guys holding different bottles about this big-" he held his hands up, trying to show the large size of the bottle. "and dumping a shit load of that into a bin with other shit in it."   


"Whatever it is, it's not half bad." Minseok shrugged, finishing off his cup.   


Jongdae and Minseok went back for a few more drinks, and then went back to where the surge of people were, bouncing and dancing amongst them. They ran into a few people they knew, having small conversations. Minseok watched as Jongdae moved his arms about, talking to someone he didn't recognize (he didn't think Jongdae recognized him either) about gas prices. They both spoke very passionately about it, and Minseok began to worry about the amount of drinks they all had.   


They watched Luhan stand up on a counter, yelling something about rubbering up and stomach pumps, but it was too loud to hear everything and Minseok was too tipsy to care.   


"Jongdae!" a voice cried, cutting through the crowd. "Minseok!"   


The two boys turned, and saw Jongdae's roommate, Byun Baekhyun, pushing through the crowd to them. He also had a red cup in his hand.   


"Baekhyunnie!" Jongdae cried, reaching forward and grabbing his wrist, pulling him closer to them. "How are you? Where's that guy you said you were meeting up with?"   


Baekhyun shrugged. "Soberer than you. And I can't find him, but who cares. He probably ended up getting distracted by someone else. Which is fine, I didn't really like him, I mean, I  _ liked _ him, but not as much as I like other people, and I didn't  _ like like _ him, ya know?" Minseok wasn't entirely following, but somehow it strangely made sense.   


"You'll find someone else." Min piped up, shoving his shoulder gently.    


Baekhyun nodded, smiling. "I will. In fact, I have! Look at him." Baekhyun pointed across the way to a tall boy, his hair a deep red. He was really tall, so tall he stuck up above the crowd more than most. He had a red cup up to his mouth, a slightly agitated look across his face. Minseok knew him; he'd seen him before. He had a name, obviously, and Minseok knew it, just couldn't place his tongue on it.   


"Jongdae, I want it." he said, a spark of awe in his voice.   


Jongdae handed his cup to Minseok, and then took Baekhyun's shoving the rest of it down his throat. Baekhyun was about to protest, pushing at the cup before Jongdae brought it away. He reached for one of the other cups he had given to Minseok. "I'm helping you, Baek." Dae said, shoving the other drink down his throat, and handing him the third.   


Minseok didn't know Baekhyun as well as Jongdae. The two had roomed together since their first year. Alas, Minseok did know Baekhyun couldn't hold his liquor well, and unfortunately found that out the hard way.   


"I'm going to hate myself in the morning, aren't I?" Baekhyun asked, swallowing sharply and handing the cup back to Jongdae.   


"Jokes on you, you're gonna hate yourself in the morning no matter what." Jongdae told him.   


"Damn, you're right." Baekhyun muttered, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.    


Jongdae took Baekhyun by the shoulders, starting him deep in the eyes. "Do you remember what I showed you?"   


"That you can bend your leg up to your head?" Baekhyun questioned, and Dae shook his head. "Oh!" he exclaimed, clicking his tongue. "How to put the condom on with my mouth!"   


Jongdae exclaimed "Exactly!" at the same time Minseok stared at his friend in horror, exclaiming  _ "¿Qué mierda? _ "    


Jongdae looked at Minseok, shrugging. "Min, it's a useful skill." Baek nodded in agreement.   


"I'm blocking you." he sighed, shaking his head.   


"Okay, go get it!" Jongdae yelled, releasing his friend and slapping him hard on the back, and then shoving him into the crowd. Tipsy from the drinks, he lost his balance, crashing right into the tall, red haired man.   


"You think they're going to do okay?" Minseok asked. He picked up more drinks, handing one to Jongdae, who nodded.   


"They're gonna be great, Min." he slurred, raising the new drink to his lips.   


Minseok, who was already under influence from the countless drinks he had had, was done. Exhausted. He was socially drained, having pretended to know and remember conversations with what felt like an entire population of a country. He was tired, his headache throbbing. He had spent a lot of the night dancing and singing, and had even sang a small rendition of  _ My Heart Will Go On  _ with Zhang Yixing. He vaguely remembered holding the younger man close to his chest.    


He pulled on Jongdae's arm. "Dae. Wanna head back now?" he stuck out his bottom lip, pleading.   


Jongdae thought for a moment, turning the question over, and then frowned, shrugging. "Sure. You feelin' okay, Min?"   


Minseok nodded, making his way to the door, Jongdae following. "Yeah. Just a bit of a headache is all."   


"Min, can we go back to your dorm?" Jongdae asked, shoving a hand in his jean pocket once they left the dorm. The hall lights were on, and both the boys squinted as they let their eyes adjust to the blinding light. "Baekhyun may bring that guy back, and I don't wanna see or hear more than I have to. And we both know Yixing wouldn't bring anyone back to yours."   


Jongdae had a point. Minseok's roommate, Zhang Yixing, wasn't really the type of guy to bring someone back to the dorm. If anything, he wouldn't even be returning to the dorm, probably collapsing at Luhan's or opting to go back to Kris or Tao's. "Whatever." Minseok said, tripping a bit before regaining his balance. "We can watch a movie or something."   


Jongdae lit up. "Can we watch _ Ferris Bueller _ ? Please, Min? Please?" he gave Minseok those wide puppy eyes no one could resist, and Minseok sighed.   


"But Ferris is such an asshole."   


"And so are you, Min."   


"Shut up before I lock you out of my dorm."   


"I'll yell until you let me in. You'll let me in, Minnie."   


"Then I'll ignore you. Or tune you out."   


"Fine then, Min. I'll sleep outside."   


Minseok laughed. "Dae, you are like, a princess when you sleep. I'm talking fluffed pillows, heated blankets, face and eye masks, all of it. The only thing you need is birds to come through your window and put a robe on for you in the morning. There is no way in hell you're sleeping outside."   


"Fuck you, Kim Minseok." Jongdae grumbled, digging a key out of his back jean pocket. He shoved it into the keyhole of a door, and shoved it open, stepping into Minseok and Yixing's dorm.   


The two shuffled in, taking their shoes off and emptying their pockets. "Boot up Netflix." Minseok mumbled, rifling through a box. "I'm gonna change."   


"Will you loan me a shirt, Min?" Dae asked, taking off his shirt. "Someone spilt something on it." He tossed it to the side, and Minseok kicked the box in frustration, shuffling over to the sofa. Jongdae was already nestled in, blankets across him. He had the remote in hand, locating the movie.    


"I can't find any shirts." Minseok leaned his head on Jongdae's shoulder as the movie started up. "I'll find something in the morning when I'm sober."   


"Speaking of sobering up." Jongdae murmured. "Get me some water, Min."   


"Get some yourself,  _ Fotze _ ."   


"No." Jongdae whined. "I'm comfy, Minnie. And you're closer."   


While Ferris' parents left the room, Minseok sighed and got up. He found a cup, a plastic jumbo one of Yixing's. It was a  _ Star Wars _ movie collector cup. He ran it under the tap, and then chugging from it as he walked back over to the sofa, handing it to Jongdae. He then situated himself back on the sofa. He rested his head on Dae's shoulder again, and Jongdae turned his face into Minseok's freshly dyed hair.    


"I love you, Kim Minseok." Jongdae mumbled into his hair, kissing the top of his head.   


"I love you too, Dae." Minseok said, almost incoherently. He was too drunk to completely register what either one of the were saying. If he had been sober, listening to what they had been saying, he would have felt the skipped beat of his heart and the warmth of his cheeks flushing.   


"No, Min. Like,  _ love love _ you." Jongdae continued, and Minseok sat up, facing the other boy.   


"I like,  _ love love _ you, too." he made sure he spoke clear enough and his words weren't overly slurred.   


Jongdae and Minseok sat there, on the sofa, staring at each other. Minseok's eyes wandered all over Jongdae, dancing over his body, his slightly parted lips, tracing over his chiselled jawline.    


As Minseok brought his eyes up Jongdae's cheekbones, the other boy leaned forward, pressing his lips against his.   


Minseok didn't hesitate in kissing him back. This was something he had been waiting  _ years _ for. He wrapped an arm around Jongdae's waist and pulled him closer, quickly deepening the kiss, and Jongdae placed a hand on Minseok's cheek, steadying his face. Jongdae tasted fruity and sweet, effects of the mixed alcohol and the small candies Jongdae often had on him.    


As Minseok reached down with his free hand to steady himself as he gently pushed Jongdae down against the sofa, Jongdae reached up and raked his hand through Minseok's hair, running his hand down his back and fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.    


Minseok sat up, tugging his shirt off and dropping it to the floor. He quickly bent back down, pressing his face against Dae's again, his chest against his.    


Their hands immediately flew to each other again, tugging at remaining fabrics and running against chests and backs and cupping faces and cheeks and wrapping around necks as lips trailed down from the others mouth to his jaw and down his neck and chest.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS;  
> ¿Qué mierda? (Spanish, What the hell?)  
> Fotze (German, Cunt)


	7. [PURPLE] II / Shades of Blue and Red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Alcohol consumption; non-con; strong language

_ -Day 1; Wednesday, May 31st, 2017- _

Later that night, Kim Junmyeon sat at the table, a book spread out in front of him. The book was small in height, smaller than other books when placed upon the shelf. It had a sleek, dark cover, the bottom edges white and folding up from dropping his book several times.   


It was a book Junmyeon had bought when he was fifteen. His parents had taken him on a trip to the United States and he had purchased it there. The book was in English, and even eleven years later he did not completely understand the entirety of the book.    


Albeit, he was beginning to understand more of it, as in his first year, he allowed his friend, Kim Minseok, who was a linguistics major, to translate it for him into Korean. He was surprised at how much he had read and understood correctly and the differences between what he didn't. Despite having the book in Junmyeon's native language now, he still preferred to read it in English.    


Seo Juhyun emerged from the bathroom, her blonde hair curled and thrown over her shoulder. She had spent over an hour in the bathroom, but didn't appear much different from when she went in. She wore a white shirt which exposed her shoulder and collarbone, and wore black heels that made a clicking sound whenever she walked.    


Seohyun and Junmyeon were the same height, standing at five foot and six inches. With Seohyun's heels, she only stood a few inches more taller than Junmyeon, but with the air of confidence she radiated, it felt as if she towered above him by a foot, even without the heels.   


"Are you ready?" she asked, tucking her dorm key into her heel.   


Junmyeon, who was wearing brown pants with a red plaid shirt, looked up at Seohyun, confused. "Pardon me?" he questioned, furrowing his brow.   


Seohyun sighed, as if she had told Junmyeon the same thing over and over and he still didn't understand. "Luhan's party, dumbass." she said, removing a ring from her finger. "We have to leave if we want a parking spot."   


"I don't have a car." Junmyeon muttered, turning back down to his book.   


"I told you already, Lee Seunghyun is driving." she turned the ring over in her hand, and then slipped it back on her finger, inspecting it. Her hand was adorned in rings, each one different.   


"I never said I was going." he muttered again, and Seohyun's heels  _ click click click _ ed over to him, closing his book shut. He gasped in horror, never having the chance to insert his bookmark. Later, he'd have to go through and find his spot again.   


Seohyun grabbed ahold of his sleeve, pulling him over to the door. "Put your shoes on." she ordered. "I'm grabbing the brush. Your hair's a mess."    


As she  _ click click click _ ed into the bathroom again, Junmyeon quickly reached over, tugging on his shoes. Seohyun soon returned with a hair brush and clear plastic spray bottle, filled with what Junmyeon assumed was water.   


Seohyun set to work, wetting Junmyeon's hair and brushing it out. As she worked, she bit her lip a little, concentrating.   


She was right, Junmyeon's hair was a mess. His hair often curled in the humidity, and seeing as he wasn't really planning on leaving the dorm today, especially this late, he hadn't bothered with it.    


After a minute, Seohyun set the spray bottle and hair brush down, and then ran her hand through his hair, fluffing it out. "There." she said. "Now you look presentable enough. I'll do something about those eye bags before I leave, don't worry." she smiled, pressing her thumbs under his eyes. She then turned, opening the dorm door.   


They stepped out into the hall, the lights bright. Seohyun led him out of the dorm building and to the parking lot, bringing Junmyeon to a sleek, black car. There was a handful of students already surrounding it, the majority being girls. He knew a few of them, as they often stopped at the dorm with Seohyun briefly.    


Seohyun brought people to the dorm often, whether it was quick while she grabbed something or a friend spent the night. Junmyeon, however, never brought anyone back. Even with the odd partner on a project, they went to other person's dorm.

Seohyun immediately greeted her friends, hugging and chattering with them all. Junmyeon stood off to the side, still not entirely sure what he was doing there.   


"Is that your roommate?" one girl asked Seohyun. She lowered her voice, trying not to be heard, but with the way she glared at Junmyeon, it was quite obvious. They made eye contact, and he offered up a quick, small smile to her, and she immediately snapped her eyes away.   


Seohyun nodded. "Yeah. Kim Junmyeon, social work major."   


"I didn't know he left the dorm." another giggled.   


"What's he doing here?" a third chimed in as the car's engine revved.   


"You all getting in or what?" a male's voice called out.    


The girls opened the car doors, piling inside. Junmyeon was pulled in, and squished between Seohyun and the car door.    


As the car peeled away, chatter filled the car once again, and Junmyeon caught another girl with brown hair whispering in another girl's ear.   


Junmyeon counted six girls within the car, and two other men. The one driving he assumed to be Lee Seunghyun, but didn't know who the second was. In fact, he didn't even exactly see him, just the outline of his silhouette.   


Junmyeon was soon broken from his train of thought by being elbowed sharply in the ribs by Seohyun. "Right, Junmyeon?" she snapped.   


"Sorry, I wasn't listening." Junmyeon said, and she sighed.   


"I said, your hair curls in the humidity." she said, and Junmyeon nodded.    


"It poofs, too." he added, and some of the girls giggled.   


"Mine does, too." one said, leaning forward in the seats so Junmyeon could see her clearer. "I'm Choi Sooyoung." she smiled at him, and Junmyeon offered up the same style smile as before to the other girl.   


When Sooyoung smiled, the corners of her cheeks turned up, which Junmyeon couldn't help but notice.   


The other girls introduced themselves as Im Yoona, Kim Taeyeon, Lee Soonkyu (whom the other girls nicknamed Sunny), and Stephanie Young Hwang. It was Stephanie who said he never left the dorm, and Yoona was the one whom he had made eye contact with.   


Abruptly, the car stopped suddenly, everyone flying forward. "We're here!" Seunghyun exclaimed, putting the car into park while the rest of them climbed out.   


Sooyoung immediately strolled over to Junmyeon, looping her arm through his. "You're a fourth year, right?" she asked.    


As the group walked into the dorm building, Junmyeon nodded. "Yeah. Fourth year, social work major."   


"I'm majoring in media production." she told him. "Fourth year, too."   


The group turned down a hallway, the lights just as bright as they were at his dorm across campus. Junmyeon could already hear the pumping of music and loud chatter of voices, even over Sooyoung as she went on about some other kid in her production class who almost broke a camera. She apparently found it to be a very funny story, but Junmyeon wasn't listening.   


"I'll go get us some drinks." Sooyoung said as they stepped into the loud, dark dorm, slipping away from him and slithering through the crowd of people.   


"Oh, I-" Junmyeon stuttered, reaching out for her, but she was gone quickly, leaving Junmyeon behind.   


The dorm wasn't small, but wasn't completely huge, either. There were cheap, colourful strobe lights strung up, and Junmyeon could see a blue one swinging, ready to fall at any moment.   


It only took Sooyoung a few minutes to retrieve drinks, and quickly placed a red plastic cup in Junmyeon's hand. "Don't ask what it is." she said, sipping from her cup. "It's a whole bunch of different stuff; basically everything in one."   


Begrudgingly, Junmyeon took a small sip from the cup. It went down sharply, and Junmyeon doubled over, coughing. He choked back the liquid, and then straightened up. Pressing the back of his palm to his mouth, he handed the cup back to Sooyoung, shaking his head.    


She laughed, pushing it back towards him gently. "Don't worry, I had almost the same reaction. Have a few more sips, you'll get used to it."   


Junmyeon frowned. He wasn't really a drinker- heck, he barely left the dorm.    


"Now, let's go dance! I told Park Jimin to put on some jams." she pushed, smiling again. She promptly grabbed his wrist, pulling him into the crowd where they quickly met with some of the people from the car, and others that hadn't arrived with them.   


He saw Seohyun dancing with a dark haired man in a grey jacket. Junmyeon didn't have the best fashion choices either, but he could practically hear that tall, orange-haired kid from the fashion department yelling about his dead aunt.   


Sooyoung immediately started bouncing her small frame to what she had described as 'jams'. Junmyeon wasn't entirely familiar with that term; perhaps he  _ should _ get out more.   


Junmyeon moved slightly, not bouncing as much or energetically as Sooyoung and some of the other girls, but he wasn't completely standing still either. He tried to choke back another sip of the drink, although its fruity flavour still felt as if it was trying to rip his throat to shreds. However, after a few sips, it became bearable and less noticeable.   


Sooyoung attempted to dance with Junmyeon, grabbing his drink-free wrist and spinning herself around, or tossing her arm around him, or asking if he knew the song that was playing and to sing it with her. Junmyeon tried his best with her, but still felt highly out of place.   


Nonetheless, she kept going back and handing him more drinks, despite whether he'd completely finished the one she had handed him before.    


It wasn't long before Junmyeon lost track of time, not knowing whether minutes or hours or seconds had passed. It also wasn't long until Sooyoung gave up trying to dance with Junmyeon, and allowed some other guy to feel her up, seeing as Junmyeon wouldn't do it. He caught her whispering a few times to some of the other girls from the car, and they shot glances his way, their emotions hard to read.   


It also wasn't long until another girl walked up to him. She was shorter than Junmyeon, and her hair was a red-brown, as if she had dyed it red and it was beginning to fade back to her natural hair colour. She had a short, black dress on, a golden zipper attached.   


He remembered her from the car- Stephanie was it?   


"What's your problem?" she demanded, jutting out one hip and setting her hand on it. In her other hand was a red cup.   


Junmyeon looked at the girl, confused. "What do you mean?"   


"Don't play stupid." she insisted, inching closer. "You won't dance with anyone." the song changed, slowing down to a low, soft croon. The sound of a piano being played boomed from the speakers.   


"I-" Junmyeon started, but was cut off by a gasp from Stephanie.    


"A slow song!" she exclaimed, slinging an arm around his neck. "Dance with me." she was even closer now, and Junmyeon could feel her breath against his neck.   


"I don't want to dance." Junmyeon protested, but Stephanie just moved further, trailing a hand down his back. "Please." he said, trying to shrug her hand off. "I'm okay, but thank you." 

 

But she still didn't listen, and instead pressed her lips to his.   


He instinctively turned away, letting her get his cheek and jaw.   


He brought his arms up in between their chests, pushing her away. Despite the little force he put on her, not wanting to hurt her, she still held on tight, her lips making their way to his collarbone.   


"Please get off me." he begged, pushing her again, adding more force.   


Suddenly, a hand reached over onto Stephanie's shoulder, pulling her back and wrenching her away and off of Junmyeon.    


"Did you not hear what he said?" a man barked, still holding onto her shoulder. "He said  _ no. _ Perhaps girls like you don't understand what that means?" his voice wasn't deep, but wasn't high, either. He spun her around so her back faced him. "Go find someone else to grind on." he added, shoving her into the crowd.   


Before she could turn around and protest, the tall man (whom was, in fact, taller than Junmyeon) stood between Junmyeon and Stephanie, his back to her.   


"Thank you." Junmyeon muttered, biting his lip and averting his gaze from the blond man.   


"No problem." he said. "I'm Kris." He stuck out his hand, and Junmyeon took it, looking up into the man's eyes.   


"Kim Junmyeon." he replied, quickly shaking off his grasp and dropping his eyes again. Kris took his hand back.   


"Sorry. Too soon?" he asked, and Junmyeon shrugged. Kris wrapped an arm around Junmyeon nonetheless, pulling him. "It's cool, you won't remember any of this in the morning. How much have you had to drink?"   


Junmyeon, looking down at his shoes, shrugged again. "Not sure." he said bluntly.    


"How many cups did she shove at you?"   


"Wasn't her."   


Kris laughed. "Ladies man, eh?" he poked him in the side of the ribs, and Junmyeon squirmed.   


"I guess."   


"Not much of a talker?"   


Junmyeon shook his head. "Not really. I'm tired."   


"Yeah, you look beat." Kris pointed out. "How about I let you crash at my dorm? It's not too far from here." Kris released Junmyeon, taking his drink from him. He dumped the remainder of Junmyeon's alcohol into his own cup, discarding Junmyeon's and handing it off to someone nearby, who eagerly took and chugged it.   


"Thank you, but I'm okay." Junmyeon said, still looking down at his shoes. "I can walk to my own fine."   


Kris grabbed Junmyeon's hand, dragging him through the crowd. Junmyeon was surprised at Kris' sudden movements, but allowed himself to be dragged by the tall blond nonetheless.   


"What's your major, Kim Junmyeon?" Kris tossed over his shoulder. Junmyeon didn't answer. "Eh?"   


"Social work." he said, a hint of shame in his voice. Not that he wasn't proud of his major (he prided himself in it), but he knew that Kris wouldn't let him walk across campus, especially in this state and this time at night.    


"I'll walk you." Kris said, leaving the dorm and entering the blinding hall lights.    


"I'm fine." Junmyeon said, but Kris hadn't let go of his hand. "It's a long walk."   


"That's exactly why I'm not letting you go alone. You're too drunk to make it alone. Besides, you could hurt yourself or something. And then I'll feel guilty for letting you go home alone. I'll drive you, it's cool."   


Kris led him out of the dorm building and to the parking lot, and Junmyeon got into yet another stranger's car for the second time that night.   


"I'm not drunk." Junmyeon said quietly.   


"Well, you're definitely not sober." Junmyeon didn't have an argument for that.   


"Are you drunk?" Junmyeon posed, putting a hand on Kris' leg as he prepared to back out of the parking spot he was in.   


Kris shook his head. "Nope. See?" he leaned in close towards Junmyeon, breathing in his face. His breath smelt minty, as if he had just brushed his teeth. "No alcohol." he was right.   


"Okay." Junmyeon said, removing his hand from Kris' lap and allowing Kris to wrap his arm around the back of Junmyeon's car seat as he backed out, putting both hands on the wheel as he drove out and away. "I wouldn't want to be driving with someone drunk."   


Kris laughed. Junmyeon had heard Kris laugh before, but it was still a glorious sound to his ears, a bright, genuine sound. "That'd kinda defeat the purpose of me driving you, wouldn't it?" Kris asked. "Besides, I haven't drank all night."   


"Not a drinker?" Junmyeon questioned, looking up and over at Kris. He was focused, watching his meters and the small campus road that stretched ahead of them, the headlights of Kris' car illuminating it.   


Kris shook his head. "Nah, I can be a pretty heavy drinker at times. I was with that Oh Sehun kid most of the night, and didn't want to scare him more than he already was. I also told Luhan and some others I'd be DD, but they changed plans and are gonna crash at some dorm closer, if not the middle of the party." Kris laughed again, the corners of his mouth turning up.   


"Oh Sehun?" Junmyeon queried. He wasn't familiar with him, let alone the majority of names around campus.    


Kris nodded. "Yeah. Second year, fashion department. He was dragged out by some older year friends of his. They started drinking, and when he tried to take drinks away from them before they got too drunk, they got mad so he left. Caught him in the washroom just watching the tap run, thought he was drunk and offered to drive him home. Said he wasn't drunk."   


"And he wasn't drunk? Or drinking?" Junmyeon quizzed, still looking up at Kris, who stayed focused on the road ahead of him. Kris was a smooth, easy driver, unlike Lee Seunghyun, who had undoubtedly had a drink or two before they even left.   


"Kid's never had a sip of alcohol in his life." Kris related. "Good reason, too."   


"What was it?"   


"Not my place to tell." Kris said. Junmyeon got that. Oh Sehun had obviously told Kris whatever he had told him for a reason, and Junmyeon didn't want to pry into business that wasn't his. He didn't even know the kid. "What's your favourite colour?" Kris asked, changing the topic.   


"Blue." Junmyeon answered, not bothering to question Kris' train of thought.   


"Any specific shade of blue?" Kris said, pulling into the parking lot for Junmyeon's dorm building.   


"A dark blue." Junmyeon started. "Almost a navy or a purple, but not quite. Although I do like all blues."   


"Why that one?"   


"When people think of the colour blue, most think of a light blue, a sky blue, maybe. A happy, bright blue. But all shades of blue can also represent sadness, but people tend to think of darker blues for sadness. Light blues are happy, and dark are sad. But all blues are blue, you need dark and light blues to have blue. Just like how you need both happiness and sadness in order to have other emotions."   


"So if you like the darker blues more, does that mean you prefer to be sad over happy?" Kris asked, pulling into a parking spot and stalling the engine.   


Junmyeon shook his head. "The darker blues are just more visually appealing." Kris laughed and climbed out of the car, Junmyeon following suit. "I can get to my dorm from here." Junmyeon said.   


Kris shook his head. "Lemme walk you up." Junmyeon had no time to protest, however. Kris had already taken Junmyeon's hand in his. "My favourite colour is red, by the way. A fire truck red."    


"Why red?" Junmyeon asked as the two entered the dorm building, making their way up to Junmyeon's dorm.   


"Because it sticks out the most, I guess." Kris said, shrugging. "I like your reason for liking blue more. It's symbolic."   


"This is my dorm." Junmyeon told him, stopping in front of the door. "Thanks for the ride. And for walking me." He dug his key out of his back pocket and unlocked the door, stepping in. Kris followed behind him, closing the door and slipping his shoes off. "What are you doing?" Junmyeon asked.    


"I'm tired." Kris said. "I'm crashing here." He bent over to untie his shoelaces, and brought his elbow up.   


Seohyun had placed some vases of flowers around the room when she first moved in, and one of the various vases was by the door. It was that one Kris had happened to knock over, sending the yellow flowers and blue glass across the doorway.   


"Shit." Kris muttered, bending over to try and pick up the pieces.   


"Fuck!" Junmyeon cried, running to grab the broom and dustpan. "Seohyun's gonna kill me."    


"Seohyun? Seo Juhyun?" Kris asked. "What, is she your girlfriend or something?" he spat, accusation in his tone.   


"No." Junmyeon said, turning so his back was to Kris as he cleaned the the broken case up.   


"Then why the fuck are you mentioning her?"   


"Because she's my fucking roommate! And that vase you fucking broke was hers!" Junmyeon turned around to face Kris, sweeping up the pieces.   


"Okay, okay." Kris said, exasperated, putting his arms out. "We'll clean it up, try to fix it or something. Do you have a hot glue gun?"   


Junmyeon shook his head, straightening up. "We're almost all packed up. We both graduate in a few days."    


"Do you think she'll notice?"   


"I'm pretty sure she will."   


"We'll just wait until the morning, tell her, and buy her a new one."   


Junmyeon sighed. He dumped the broken case pieces into a bag. "I'm still toast." he walked over and laid down on his bed. "She's already pissed at me."   


Kris followed, situating himself on Junmyeon's bed as well. "What do you mean?"   


"She's just always mad at me. I don't know what I do or did to make her mad, though."   


"I'm sure she doesn't mean it." Kris offered, shrugging. "I dunno man, girls are weird. I don't fuck with them, they can be super vicious." he pulled off his shirt, letting the dark material flutter to the floor as he laid back.    


Junmyeon tried his best to look over Kris' actions and statement, but no matter what he tried to think of to say, his mind kept coming back to one thing- there was an undeniably attractive shirtless man laying in his bed who just admitted to not 'fucking with girls', no matter how he meant that.   


"Do you want the inside or the outside of the bed?" Kris asked, lifting up the covers.   


Junmyeon looked over to him, and sighed, lifting his own shirt up over his head. "I'll take the inside." he said, wiggling into bed.   


Kris laid the covers over Junmyeon gently, and then nestled in beside him on his side.   


It was seventeen seconds before Kris wrapped an arm lazily around Junmyeon's waist atop the covers.   


It was another seventeen seconds before Junmyeon rolled over onto his side, facing Kris, his head resting on the taller man's arm.


	8. [LIAR] III / Handsome Park Chanyeol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Sexual references; mentions of alcohol

_ -Day 1; Wednesday, May 31st, 2017- _

"Are you deaf or something?" Byun Baekhyun asked, standing on tiptoes and hoisting himself up more by pressing on the boy's shoulders. He leaned his face in close.   


The tall boy stirred, as if surprised, and Baekhyun fell back onto the soles of his feet. "Huh?"   


Baekhyun sighed. "I asked you what your name was. And then you didn't answer, so I spoke up, thinking maybe you couldn't hear me- it is quite loud in here, with the music and all- but you still didn't answer. So then I asked if you were deaf, which would be a real shame, because you're cute and I don't know sign language, and I would also now look like an idiot rambling to the deaf kid. Which maybe wouldn't be so bad, my fri-"   


"I'm not deaf." the red haired giant said, and Baekhyun let out a sigh. "And I'm Park Chanyeol."   


Baekhyun frowned. "That's long. Can I give you a nickname or something?" Baekhyun wasn't really one to talk- his name had the exact same amount of letters as Park Chanyeol's did.   


Park Chanyeol shrugged. "Sure, I don't care." his words slurred, and his eyes never once drifted off of Baekhyun.   


"I think I might go with Chan or Yeol right now." Baekhyun said. "Perhaps Yeol, there's a lot of Chans here, and I already call that Lee Chanhyuk guy Chan. There's also a lot of Parks- did you know that there's like, three Park Jimins in this room right now? Well, one's a  _ Shin  _ Jimin, but that's besides the point. I don't know many Yeols, though."    


"Yeol it is." Chanyeol smiled. He never outright said he loved or hated the nickname, but by the look in his eyes, Baekhyun could tell he loved it.   


"Oh!" Baekhyun exclaimed. "I'm Byun Baekhyun! That's long too, so most people call me Baek." He leaned in close, putting his lips up to Yeol's ear. "But you can call me 'daddy'." he whispered quietly, smirking.   


That was a pick up line Kim Jongdae taught him. Baekhyun didn't really have a daddy kink, but the line almost always worked. Two out of three times, like the naked man.   


"Isn't it 'maybe'?" Yeol asked as Baekhyun wrenched himself away from Chanyeol's ear. "Like the song? Isn't it like, _ Call Me Maybe _ or something? It's an English song."   


Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol, dumbfounded. Tall and dumb, great. "No!" Baekhyun exclaimed. "Daddy! You can call me daddy! It's a pick up line, dammit!" Chanyeol just still looked at Baekhyun, confused. Baekhyun rolled his eyes. "A pick up line? I'm trying to pick you up! Like, let's go back to my dorm! You have to know what that means. Do I have to spell that out for you, too?" Baekhyun raised two fingers, hitting them against one another at the tips.   


Chanyeol laughed, running a hand through his red hair. "No no, I get that. Sorry, I'm just a little-"   


"No bother." Baekhyun said, lighting up. A smile spread across his face. "So? You wanna go back with me? My dorm isn't too far from here."   


Byun Baekhyun knew he was being blunt. He knew he was rushing it, but he was drunk, and this red-haired giant seemed to be, too. He didn't expect this to evolve into anything other than a one night stand.   


It also wasn't until then that it had dawned on Baekhyun that this handsome man before him may not be gay. What if Baekhyun was after something Chanyeol wasn't interested in?   


Chanyeol must have seen the realization in Baekhyun's eyes, as he smiled and grabbed Baek's hand. "I'd love to." he dropped his voice to just above a whisper. It was gentle.   


Baekhyun sighed in relief. He had hit on plenty of straight guys before, and that almost never went well. He had ended up with everything from a gentle let down to a black eye.   


Baekhyun led the tall man through the crowd of people, his small, fragile hand wrapped tightly within his large, strong, warm hand. Chanyeol's hand almost completely encased and engulfed Baekhyun's hand (which Jongdae often made fun of for being 'girly'), his skin soft.   


They stepped out into the hall, the lights bright and loud. "It's down this hall." Baekhyun breathed, and Chanyeol squeezed Baekhyun's hand in his. He stopped at his dorm door and twisted the handle, opening it.    


Jongdae and Baekhyun never locked their dorm door when they both went out drinking. They even left their keys, often coming home too wasted to even make it to the bed. They had both come back or awoken the next morning to one of them having passed out in the doorway more than once. And that was if they managed to make it back to their own dorm.   


As Chanyeol and Baekhyun stepped in, right as the door closed, Chanyeol had pinned Baekhyun against the wall and his body, his lips meeting his.   


Baekhyun immediately threw his arms around Chanyeol, his hand in Yeol's hair. Both Baek and Chanyeol wasted no time in deepening the kiss, and Chanyeol's lips were laced with that fruity alcohol taste, and Baekhyun had no doubt that his tasted the same.   


Chanyeol's arms were wrapped around Baekhyun's middle, and his arms slid down the smaller man's back and grabbed ahold of the end of Baek's shirt.    


Baekhyun lifted his arms away from Chanyeol's neck and up over his head, and Chanyeol lifted his shirt up and over, letting it fall to the ground, only momentarily allowing their lips to break apart.    


Baekhyun helped Chanyeol with removing his, letting his hands brush against the taller man's sides and up and over his arms, discarding the shirt and wrapping his arms around his neck again, pressing his lips to his again and again allowing Chanyeol access in.   


Chanyeol, whom still had Baekhyun cornered, grabbed his thighs, pushing him up. Baekhyun wrapped his legs around Chanyeol's waist, coming to level with him. His arms were still wrapped tightly around Chanyeol's neck, and he broke the kiss momentarily, looking into Chanyeol's eyes.   


Chanyeol gazed back, supporting Baekhyun between the wall and with one arm and using his now free hand to cup Baek's cheek.   


Baek bit his lip, and it wasn't until now that Byun Baekhyun realized just how utterly gorgeous Park Chanyeol was, how easy it was to get lost in those eyes of his, how soft and  _ kissable _ those lips of his were, how sharp his jaw was and how perfectly proportionate his face was. Byun Baekhyun wanted nothing more than to reach out and grab Park Chanyeol's face within his own two hands, but he knew he'd fall over if he did.   


Park Chanyeol, whom still had his giant, warm hand placed on Baekhyun's cheek, gently stroked his cheek with his thumb, and then leaned in and kissed him again, and Baek didn't hesitate and kissing him again, either. "Which way's the bedroom?" Chanyeol murmured against his lips, and Baekhyun smiled.   


"Behind you, to the right. Your right." He said softly, gesturing with his hand.   


Chanyeol soon brought their lips together again, and slid the hand that cupped his cheek down his side and back to support him again.   


Baekhyun leaned on Chanyeol, trailing his lips down to his jaw and down his neck, peppering small bites and marks where he pleased.   


As Chanyeol gently pushed them off of the wall and carried Baek into the bedroom, he let out a small moan as Baek made yet another mark on Yeol's collarbone. "You like that?" Baekhyun asked, going in again.   


Chanyeol laid Baekhyun gently down onto the bed, and Baekhyun brought his lips away from Chanyeol's bare chest, replacing them with his hands as Chanyeol's fiddled with Baekhyun's pants belt, sliding them and his boxers off, and then kicking his own off.    


Chanyeol leaned in one last time, kissing Baekhyun fiercely on the lips, and then moving his lips to Baekhyun's neck, leaving a mark of his own before grabbing Baek's hips, setting to work on what the two of them came to the dorm for and both desperately craved.   
  
~•~   
  


_ -Day 2; Thursday, June 1st, 2017- _

_ /Chanyeol/ _

Park Chanyeol awoke the next morning, a small, sleeping Byun Baekhyun wrapped in his arms, his head leaning against his chest. Chanyeol could feel the tickle of his breath as he drew in small breaths.    


Chanyeol and Baekhyun were a tangled mess, legs and arms wrapped and curled together.   


Chanyeol slowly and carefully detangled himself from the sleeping ball that was Byun Baekhyun, being careful as to not wake him.   


After cleaning himself up, Chanyeol located his shirt from the doorway and his other clothes, tugging them on.   


He glanced at his phone. It was nearing 5am, and he was on 24%. Hopefully it was enough to get him back to his dorm, but his phone battery ran out quicker than his will to live (especially during exam season), so there was no guarantee.   


Despite only being a one night stand, Chanyeol thought he should at least leave something for Baekhyun so he knew what had happened to him when he himself awoke.   


Wandering into the kitchen, he located a notepad and a pen, quickly scribbled on it, and then wandered back into the bedroom, finding Baekhyun's phone from his pants pocket. He stuck the note there and placed the pen on his bedside table.   


Chanyeol regarded Byun Baekhyun and his slim figure, pretty pink lips that were parted slightly as he took in breath, chest that appeared as if he had tried to tone it but gave up, his small, cute little tummy, his slim, feminine hands that folded under his head, his legs that folded into his chest one last time. Chanyeol bent over, pulling the covers up and wrapping Baekhyun in them.   


He leaned over more, laying a small kiss on Baekhyun's lips, and then quietly slipped out the dorm door. As he wandered through the dorm building halls, Chanyeol not only found himself cursing at himself for not going through Baek's kitchen for something for the pain that shot through him in little sparks, but doubting himself for never believing in anything, such as God or true love or lucky pennies or the red string.   


Or perhaps that was just the hangover talking.

 

_ ~•~ _

 

_ /Baekhyun/ _

It was nine in the morning when Baekhyun stirred awake, a shiver of cold running through his body, despite being covered in sheets and alone.   


Alone.   


He figured Park Chanyeol had left already, and he frowned- morning round twos were always his favourite, no matter how much pain he was in from the previous night.   


Pain.   


Byun Baekhyun hurt all over, and like a bitch, too. Just like the hangover he had.    


He threw himself out of bed, emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet he had rushed to. He brushed his teeth over afterwards, and to no point as he just hurled again.   


He picked up his shirt in the doorway, lonely without Chanyeol's lying there with it, and then shuffled into his room, desperate to find some clothes.   


Baekhyun noticed Kim Jongdae, his roommate since his first year, hadn't returned to the dorm yet. He began to wonder where Jongdae had ended up, what he had gotten himself into, and looked around, trying to locate his phone.   


He'd have to call Jongdae and pick him up from wherever he was, and help him fight the hangovers they both undoubtedly were suffering from.   


Baekhyun retrieved a glass of water from the fridge, trying to sober up as much as he could before he contacted Jongdae, still searching for his phone.   


He eventually found it on his bedside table, a note stuck to it.   


The handwriting was messy and rushed, and trailed off easily as if the writer had almost fallen asleep writing it. The ink was smudged.   


 

 _Byun Baekhyun,_ _  
_ _I am sorry to have left so early. I would have spent the morning with you if I could. I would have loved to make you breakfast as well, but unfortunately I can't cook and I'm broke. I felt it was rude to leave with no word, so I left this and my username and number below. I am not sure if you have an Instagram or not, but that should be enough for you to find me if you need to. Hope you slept well and don't hurt too much._ _  
__Park Chanyeol_ __  


Baekhyun held his phone, which had the note stuck to it, gingerly in his hands. He fell back onto the bed, sighing deeply as he let his phone bounce out of his hand.   


Byun Baekhyun knew he and Park Chanyeol were nothing more than a one night stand, a drunken fuck, but Byun Baekhyun couldn't help but wish for something more between the two, another chance to meet.   


But at the same time, Handsome Park Chanyeol had left him, Byun Baekhyun, his username and number. That had to mean something, didn't it? Chanyeol wanted to see Baekhyun again, too, even if it was just another sexual rendezvous.   


It didn't help that Baekhyun couldn't get those eyes out of his mind, piercing through and hitting him in the heart every time he allowed his thoughts to wander or closed his eyes. It didn't help that Baekhyun couldn't help but think of those magical lips of his, and his hands that did wonders and miracles. It didn't help that Baekhyun found himself dreaming of that dangerously perfectly proportionate face with his beautiful jaw and nose, and it didn't help that Baekhyun still wanted to lay both his hands on Chanyeol's cheeks, grabbing his face and having control over him.   


It wasn't until an hour later that Baekhyun had finally pulled his head from the clouds and ripped the note carefully off of his phone and remembered to contact Jongdae, only to find a handful of messages and missed calls and DMs and mentions from him.   


Baekhyun sighed. Why couldn't his roommate, a close friend of his, be as hot and gay as Park Chanyeol?

 

~•~

 

_ /Chanyeol/ _

You have received one notification.   


_ @baekthosebyuns _ has requested to follow you.   
  


_ @baekthosebyuns _ is now following you.   


_ @baekthosebyuns _ has accepted your follow request.   
  


_ @baekthosebyuns _ has sent you a message. 


	9. [THE LONG GAME] III / Straight Jongdae, Gay Minseok, and a Screaming Yixing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Implied sexual references; mentions of alcohol; medium language

_-Day 2; Thursday, June 1st, 2017-_

Kim Jongdae was not gay. He had many girlfriends, and could get many more. He could get a boyfriend if he wanted to, but Kim Jongdae was not gay.  
   

One can only assume how surprised Kim Jongdae was when he awoke, passed out naked and sleeping in the arms of his best friend, Kim Minseok.  
   

Kim Minseok, however, was the gayest son of a bitch Jongdae had ever laid eyes on. In all the years Jongdae had known him, he had never done anything remotely heterosexual, and had went so far as to cry when a girl tried to hold his hand in the second grade.   
   

But alas, Kim Jongdae was not gay. And whatever had happened last night was nothing but the alcohol talking, and Jongdae quickly clambered out of Minseok's grasp, not caring if he woke him or not.  
   

He stumbled away a few steps, pain shooting throughout him, and he bit his lip, lowering himself to the ground, leaning against the side of the sofa he and Minseok fell asleep on.  
   

Jongdae took in his surroundings- 'are you still watching?' displayed on the television screen, a puddle of water to his right, caused by an upturned plastic jumbo _Star Wars_ movie collector cup. He was undoubtedly at Minseok's dorm. His and Minseok's clothes were scattered about, and bracing through the pain, Jongdae began to sort through the garments, locating what was his.   
   

He had tugged on nothing but his boxers when he found his phone. Despite the (mutual, friendship kind) love that Jongdae held for Minseok, Jongdae felt nothing more at that moment but to get out of that dorm.   
   

He could address what happened with Minseok at some other point in time, but right now he needed out. He fumbled through his phone, clicking Byun Baekhyun's contact, dialling and calling his roommate. He held the phone to his ear, only to get Baekhyun's answering machine.   
   

Jongdae tried calling him again, and again, and text and text him. He was so desperate for Baekhyun, for him to assure him it was nothing and the reason he felt this way was because he was panicking, and Jongdae had reached out to Baekhyun in any way he could through his phone, spamming his Snapchat and Instagram and Twitter. If he had a MySpace, that would have surely been blown up, too.   
   

Jongdae found his shirt, holding it up. He didn't remember much from last night, but somehow he had ended up with a large, ugly stain on his shirt, and his nose curled when he brought it close to his face.  
   

Jongdae was yet to hear from Baekhyun, and he couldn't help but wonder what the hell he had gotten himself into. It was nearing nine, and Baekhyun had always been an early riser.  
   

"Jongdae?" Minseok's voice cut through the atmosphere, shocking Jongdae and he brought his eyes up to look at the purple haired man who was now sitting up on his sofa, rubbing an eye with his hand tiredly.  
    

Jongdae didn't say anything, but instead looked up at Minseok, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.  
   

"Good morning." Minseok smiled, removing his hand from his face. "What time is it?"  
   

Jongdae still didn't say anything, but instead just noticed the quickening pace of his heartbeat as he laid eyes on Minseok. It was just the panic, he reminded himself.   
   

If the situation couldn't get any worse,  Jongdae whipped his head around at the sound of the dorm door opening. Zhang Yixing, Kim Minseok's roommate for the year, stepped into the dorm. He shouted something in Chinese, happiness filling his voice.  
   

Minseok called something over his shoulder, also in Chinese, and Jongdae couldn't make out what it was, he didn't speak Chinese, he shouldn't be here, his heart was racing, quickening and quickening and a lump formed in his throat as he bit his lip and grabbed his clothes and phone, pulling his pants on as he raised himself from the floor.  
   

"This isn't what it looks like." Jongdae said, breathless, his shirt and phone in his hands. "I-I-"  
   

Jongdae didn't finish his statement, and instead shakily pushed past Yixing in his loud, bright yellow shirt and grabbed his shoes, tugging open the dorm door as his phone vibrated in his hand.  
   

He heard a voice call after him as he hurried down the hall, the lights just as loud and bright as Yixing's shirt, but Jongdae ignored whomever was shouting at him, and instead found his way outside, throwing up into a nearby bush as his phone went off again.  
   

Jongdae sat on the grass, trying to steady his breathing and his shaking limbs, pulling his stained shirt and shoes on as he glanced at his phone.

  


_You have 10 missed calls from "_ Baekhyunnie 🌼 _"_   


_You have 24 new text notifications from "_ baekthosebyuns _"_   


_Snapchat from "_ Baekhyunnie 🌼 _"_   


@baekthosebyuns _has sent you a message._

  


Jongdae's phone rang again, Baekhyun popping up as the caller.  
   

"Hello?" he said shakily, holding the phone to his ear again.  
   

"Oh god, Jongdae! Finally you picked up, I've been calling you for the past five hours! Okay, that's a lie, I only got up around an hour ago, but still!" Baekhyun exclaimed, his voice rushed and worried. "Where are you? I've been worried sick about you- quite literally, I almost threw up in the shower! Are you okay? You're not dead, are you?"  
   

"I'm alive." Jongdae said plainly. He still shook, especially his hands, and when he drew in breath he shuddered. "I'm outside."  
   

"What are you outside for?" Baekhyun demanded.  
   

"I was at Minseok's dorm."  
   

"What the hell, Dae? Our dorm is closer to Minseok's than outside is."  
   

"I needed some air."  
   

"Is everything alright, Dae?"  
   

"Can you come get me?" he said sheepishly, feeling like a child who needed to be doted on.  
   

"I'll be down in a few." And with that Byun Baekhyun hung up, and Jongdae set his phone on the grass beside him, hurling into the bushes yet again.  
   

Byun Baekhyun was many things- short, a midwife, energetic, cheerful- but he was not a liar. He really was down in a few, and had a bottle of water and pills in hand.  
   

"Dae!" he cried, running over to where Jongdae sat in the grass in his stained shirt. Baekhyun frowned, sitting beside his roommate. "If you had told me you somehow shit yourself on your shirt I would've brought you new clothes, too."  
   

"It's not shit." Jongdae muttered, looking down at the stain. "At least I don't think it is." Now it was his turn to frown.  
   

"Whatever it is, it's not gonna come out easy. But a stained shirt isn't our problem right now. Here, take one of these." Baekhyun struggled for a moment to get the lid off of the pill bottle, but managed to get it off without Jongdae's help. He handed Jongdae a few pills and the water bottle, and Dae quickly swallowed the pills. "That should help with the hangover."  
   

"Baekhyun." Jongdae started, handing him the water bottle back. "I need to tell you something."  
   

Baekhyun placed the water bottle in Jongdae's lap. "Go ahead."  
   

"I slept with Minseok last night." Jongdae blurted out, looking up at Baekhyun from under his eyelashes.  
   

"I thought you were straight." was Baekhyun's initial reaction. "I mean, I always knew you had a bit of gay in you, but-"  
   

"I am!" Jongdae exclaimed, cutting him off. "But I went and slept with my best friend anyways. And now I have to deal with drunken me's actions! I have to explain everything to Minseok- oh god, what do you think he thinks? And shit man, he's powerful- I hurt like hell."  
   

"What do you remember? I want the details."  
   

"The last thing I remember is singing with Huang Zitao."  
    

"They say mind-blowing sex can wipe your memory."  
   

Jongdae sighed. "I'm pretty sure I just had too much to drink."  
   

Baekhyun furrowed his brow for a moment, as if thinking hard about something. "Do you remember talking to me at all?"  
   

Jongdae shrugged. "I'm not sure."  
   

"Okay. That's okay." Baekhyun said, a hint of indifference in his voice as he stood up. He held out his hand, offering to help Jongdae up. "Let's go back to the dorm, we can sort more out about this Minseok situation there."  
   

Jongdae took Baekhyun's hand, allowing him to help him up. He grimaced in pain, bending back over to pick up the water bottle.  
   

"I'm telling you, if he had did it any harder, I wouldn't be able to walk." Jongdae told him as the two made their way into the dorm building.   
   

"That's a good thing." Baekhyun said. "Despite your reaction to all of this, you at least seemed to enjoy it."  
   

Jongdae didn't say anything, neither confirmed or denying his enjoyment of it.  
   

Jongdae didn't notice the roll of Baekhyun's eyes- he doubted Jongdae was in as much pain as he was, he didn't spend the night with Handsome Park Chanyeol.  
  
~•~   


_/Minseok/_

"Jongdae, wait!" Minseok cried, jumping off of the sofa. He, too, pushed past Yixing, grabbing ahold of the doorframe. "Dae, please!" But Minseok shouted to no avail, and instead watched as his friend stumbled down the hall, turning a corner where Min could no longer see him.  
   

"Okay." Yixing said, slipping into Chinese. "I know I'm usually the one to walk around naked here, and I'm glad you're feeling more comfortable and open with me, but considering I just watched your best friend put his pants on and run out with his shirt in his hands, I'm going to have to either ask you to at least put some underwear on, close the door, or give me an explanation."  
   

"I slept with Jongdae." Minseok marveled, dumbfounded, as if only realizing it for the first time himself.   
   

"That's really good Minseok, I know you like him, but you need to put some pants on." Yixing said, closing the door himself. "If you're going to talk to me about sex, I'm not talking to you about it unless we're both either fully clothed or naked, and I'm too tired and hungover right now to strip."   
   

Minseok sighed, sifting through the clothes on the ground which were his. "I don't know why he acted like that, though." he spoke as he pulled his clothes on. "He came on to me first."  
   

"How much did you have to drink?"  
   

"A lot."  
   

"I hate to break it to you, but perhaps he only did it because he was drunk." Yixing frowned and crossed his arms. "You know he says he's straight."  
   

"The key word being straight." Minseok pointed out. "No one completely heterosexual would be friends with me, especially for this long."

 

"Hey!" Yixing exclaimed. "I take offence to that."

"You're bisexual, Yixing."   


"Oh yeah."


	10. [PURPLE] III / The Cursed Chinese Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language

_ -Day 2; Thursday, June 1st, 2017- _

Kim Junmyeon awoke, snuggled into the crook of Kris Wu's arm. Kris still smelled faintly of his cologne, and it was a smell Junmyeon not only quickly became accustomed to, but one he quickly grew to love.   


He didn't know how long it had taken him to feel the want to be surrounded by that faint scent of the musky cologne, or how long it took him to inch closer to Kris in his sleep until he was completely pressed and cuddled against him, or how long it took for Kris to wrap not only one but two of his strong arms around him, and for once in his life Junmyeon was unsure if he wanted to know the reasons of it all.   


"Are you awake?" Kris attempted to whisper in Junmyeon's ear. It didn't really work out that way.   


"If I wasn't, I sure am now." Junmyeon muttered, pressing a hand to his ear.   


"Sorry." Kris said, smiling at Junmyeon. "I got up at like, 8:30, but I didn't want to wake you so I waited for you to get up."   


Breaking free from Kris' grasp, Junmyeon sat up, rubbing his cheek sleepily. He squinted at the clock that was placed on his bedside table. It read 9:14. "You've been up forty-four minutes. Why didn't you go back to sleep or something?"   


"Once I'm up, I'm up." Kris sighed. "It's a curse." He sat up too, wrapping an arm around Junmyeon's waist.   


"And why do you have this curse placed upon you, Mister Kris?" Junmyeon queried, entertaining him.   


"That's Mister Wu to you." Kris teased, poking him in the rib. "And it's because I'm so pretty, a witch came to me when I was younger and said that I must sacrifice my sleep for my beauty."   


Junmyeon laughed, falling against Kris' chest. "If you say so. I take it only true love's kiss can break this curse?"   


Kris nodded. "That's why I have to go around and kiss all the fair maidens and whatever the masculine and non-binary words for maiden are in all the land. I travelled all over China looking for them, but gave up and came to this mysterious land called South Korea."   


"Master is masculine, and people use ‘first’ and ‘untried’ for gender neutral." Junmyeon provided, and then looked at Kris, confused. "Why China?"   


"I'm Chinese." Kris laughed. "Does it sound like I fucking speak Korean to you?"   


"Now that you say it, I have noticed a lot of mistakes in your pronunciation." Junmyeon told him, still leaning against his chest. Kris' arms were still around his waist.   


"Thank you, I'm glad I've been recognized for my wonderful language skills. I should move to the language department."   


Junmyeon sat up, pushing away from Kris. He stepped off the bed, stooping over for his shirt. "No, they don't even want you."    


Kris grabbed his shirt as well, pulling it over his head and pouting. "Why aren't you a little ray of sunshine." Junmyeon smiled at him, putting his hands under his chin. Kris reached over, kicking him in the shin. "Anyways, I should get going."   


"Want something to eat first?" Junmyeon asked, finally slipping his shirt over his head.   


Kris stood up from the bed, shaking his head. "Nah, Jackson will make something."   


"Jackson?"   


"Jackson Wang. My roommate. He's Chinese, too."   


"So there's more of you."   


"An entire nation of us."   


"Fascinating." Junmyeon commented as the two left his room and to the front, where Kris bent over to slip on his shoes.   


"Do you want my number?”   


Junmyeon was confused. "What for?"   


"I'm sitting with you at graduation tomorrow."   


"Aren't we in alphabetical order?"   


"I'll sit with you some other time, then. Still, I want your number." He held out his hand, gesturing for Junmyeon's phone. With his other hand, he handed Junmyeon his.   


Junmyeon took Kris' phone while handing him his. He opened Kris' contacts, typing in his name and number before handing it back.   


Kris opened the dorm door while he took his phone back from Junmyeon, giving him his. He leaned over, kissing Junmyeon on the cheek.   


"What was that for?" Junmyeon asked softly, putting his hand on his cheek where Kris kissed him.   


"It's a French thing. It's a greeting and a farewell."    


"I thought you were Chinese."   


Kris laughed, still a glorious and genuine sound that Junmyeon loved. "I am, I just think the French thing is cute. Like you." Kris tapped the tip of Junmyeon's nose, making a soft  _ boop _ sound. Junmyeon moved his hand from his cheek to his nose. "Okay, I'm out. If I'm any later Jackson will throw a fit. I've already gotten an angry message on my phone from him."   


And with that Kris slipped out of the dorm, closing the door behind him, leaving Junmyeon standing on the other side, still gingerly touching his nose.   


After a moment he wandered into the kitchen, grabbing a bowl from the cupboards and setting it on the island counter.   


What Junmyeon didn't notice was Seo Juhyun sitting cross-legged at the island counter as well, a spoon resting in an empty bowl. She wore white polka dotted pyjama pants and a pink tank top, her bleached hair let down and tangled from sleep. She leaned forward, resting her head in her hands. "Who was that?" she asked, shocking Junmyeon as he remembered he wasn't alone.   


"No one." Junmyeon forced out, pushing all thoughts of the cursed Chinese boy out of his head as he opened a silverware drawer.   


"There was another boy shirtless in your bed." Seohyun pointed out. "And you two were sleeping together. And not far apart, either. And I just watched him kiss you-"   


"He's no one!" Junmyeon burst, slamming the silverware drawer shut. It closed with a bang, and slowly rolled back open.   


Junmyeon dealt with a lot of things. He often faced problems head on, and worked problems out as soon as he got them, not being one to procrastinate. However, dealing with this topic called sexuality was something Junmyeon had sacked away in the dark corners of his mind, refusing to acknowledge or explore it any further.   


He also treated people with nothing by kindness and respect, so raising his voice at Seo Juhyun was nothing Kim Junmyeon had ever done before and surprised Seohyun.   


"Junmyeon." Seohyun said, her voice low and full of caution tossed at him. "I just want to know who he was. What you were doing. You never bring anyone back to the dorm."   


"He was no one. It's none of your business who he was." Junmyeon lowered his voice to the same level as hers, but with much more force mixed within them.   


"Come on, Myeonie." she teased, pouting her lip out. "I tell you who the people I bring are. I found it quite rude that you didn't even think to introduce me to him."   


"Kris." Junmyeon slammed the spoon he had retrieved onto the counter. "His name is Kris, okay?"   


"Is this  _ Kris _ your boyfriend?" Seohyun said, taunt laced within her words. Junmyeon turned his back to her, biting his lip as to not explode at her yet again. "Junmyeon, are you gay?" she asked, any hint of malice or taunting leaving her voice and being replaced with curiosity and gentleness when he didn't answer her.    


The word Junmyeon had forced away for so long pierced through him, taking his breath away and making his heart skip a beat, much like when he first saw Kris in all his glory, but in a whole other meaning.   


The word drove far into him, hitting his heart and tying his stomach into a knot. It toyed with his emotions, a lump appearing in his throat while tears formed in his eyes. He leaned forward onto the kitchen counter beside the refrigerator, placing his face into his hands.   


Junmyeon had failed to notice Seohyun at the island, watching him as he bid Kris farewell, just as he had failed to notice her come back to the dorm last night and watch as he snuggled into bed with Kris, and just as he had failed to notice Kris pull him onto his chest and plant another small kiss on his cheek.   


He also failed to notice his phone vibrate from his room, but did notice the scuffing of the chair against the floor as Seohyun moved the chair back and stood up, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into her chest.   


Junmyeon tried to turn away, but Juhyun's grip was tight. "I know you're a guy and all, and I don't know how you guys deal with things, but since I'm a girl, the only way I know how to deal with this effectively is a little girl talk time." She pulled away and smiled at him reassuringly, and guided him into her part of the dorm, seating him on her bed. She climbed on afterwards, sitting on her knees.   


She reached over and grabbed a fluffy, pink pillow, handing the pillow to Junmyeon, who held it gingerly in his lap. She shook her head, taking the pillow back. "Like this." She demonstrated, holding the pillow close to her chest. She then handed it back to Junmyeon, who copied what she did. "I'll get you something to eat." She smiled and rubbed his knee, and then stood up and left the room.   


Junmyeon was sitting cross-legged on the bed, holding the pillow closely. He buried his face into the edges of it, which had small black stains all along the edges of it. He let out a shaky breath.   


He felt vulnerable, that's for sure. Somehow, in the matter of a few moments, Seo Juhyun had managed to tear down his walls and pour out this wave of emotion within him, which he let flow out of him like a river, crashing against the sides of the pillow. He was glad it was the morning, for if he was wearing any eye makeup, it would have surely turned into just another stain on the sides of the pillow.   


A few moments later, Seohyun arrived again, a bowl of cereal in hands, which she carefully handed to Junmyeon. He picked up the spoon and let it fall back into the bowl with a clang.   


"Now." Juhyun started, situating herself on the other side of the bed. She reached over and grabbed a book and pen, flipping the notebook open to a blank page. She dated it at the top, and then signed her name. She turned it around and handed the pen to Junmyeon. "Sign here." She tapped a spot on the page, and confused, he quickly scribbled his name on the page.    


"What's that for?"    


"Sworn secrecy. Whatever is said or happens in this room stays between us."   


"Deal."   


"You have to say you swear."   


"I swear." Junmyeon sighed.     


"Good." She tucked the book away. "Now," she gestured to him. "spill everything."   


"I don't know where to start." he wiped under his eyes with his thumb. "I don't even know what we're talking about or why I'm so emotional."   


"Let's start with what just happened." Juhyun offered. "We were separated at the party- what did you do?"   


"Well, this girl- I don't remember her name- started dancing with me. And not Sooyoung, she was nice. This was someone else. She tried to kiss me and stuff."   


"Stephanie." Seohyun groaned, rolling her eyes and sighing. "I'll talk to her. Trust me, I'll hear all about my 'prude of a roommate'."   


"I'm not a prude."   


"You're pruder than she is."   


"Prudish." Junmyeon corrected. "And I guess I am."   


"Anyways, continue." Seohyun waved her hand in the air, gesturing for him to continue.   


"So I try to get her off of me, but I can't, so Kris comes-"   


"And Kris is the guy that as just here?" she asked, cutting him off.   


Junmyeon nodded. "Yes. So he comes and gets her off of me, and then offers to drive me back here. So I let him, and then he said he was too tired to drive back and that we was going to stay here, and I let him."   


Seohyun furrowed her brow. "And the two of you were shirtless because...?"   


"Well, he didn't have any pyjamas, and I couldn't just let him be the only shirtless one. That'd be awkward."    


"I see. So, how do you feel about this Kris?" she pried, wiggling her eyebrows.   


Junmyeon hid his face in the pillow, looking away from her. Not only did he want to unintentionally give away anything, but he didn't want her to see the blush that appeared on his face whenever he thought of Kris.   


"Junmyeon." Juhyun lowered her voice and taking on a soft yet stern tone. "Are you gay?" she reiterated, and that forceful wave of emotion that hit him hard whenever his sexuality was mentioned washed over him, and he attempted to try and hide his face deeper into the pillow. "Junmyeon, it's okay if you are. Hell, I'm a little gay myself."   


With that he looked up at her, confused as to why she would say that. "I'm pansexual." she elaborated, smiling. "I've had my fair share of both boyfriends and girlfriends, so no matter which way you swing, I have advice for you."   


"I-I, I don't know which way I swing." Junmyeon said finally, sighed while he did.    


“And that's okay!" Juhyun exclaimed. "You don't have to know. We're young still- take your time to experiment and figure it out."   


"I think I might be...you know." Junmyeon said the last bit in a hushed voice, as if afraid to say it. In a way he was- saying it meant he'd be coming face to face with something he had shoved away for so long.   


Junmyeon never really had an interest in girls. While his friends were off getting girls and whatever else they did, Junmyeon spent his time other ways, doing things he thought would benefit him more in the future. Of course the thought of being gay had crossed his mind, but by doing so he was where he is now- sitting on a girl's bed, hugging a pillow and talking about a cute boy he had slept with the previous night.   


"Junmyeon. Is there..." she trailed off, averting her gaze, as if choosing her next words carefully. "Is there anything going on at home about your sexuality? If you were to come out, would whoever's at home support you?"   


Yet another blow to Junmyeon, he studied the patterns in the bed sheets while he thought. "I'm, I'm not sure." he said softly.   


It wasn't like his parents had done anything outright to say they wouldn't support him. His parents had said multiple times that they'd always love him, but perhaps it was just a vibe he had gotten from them, or the fear of facing it himself.   


"That's okay." Juhyun shifted around on the bed so she sat beside him, and she wrapped her arms around him yet again, pulling him into a hug. He leaned his head on her shoulder, running his thumb under his eyes, drying them.   


There were many things running through Junmyeon’s head.   


Thoughts of a cursed Chinese boy and thoughts of graduation tomorrow and thoughts of himself and what he may or may not have just admitted to not only himself but his roommate.   


"I also grabbed your phone for you." Seohyun pulled away and handing him his phone. "I thought you might want to see that. When you're ready, grab your bowl and meet me outside. We'll watch a movie together."   


" _ Star Wars _ ?" he asked hopefully, perking up, and she nodded. He grinned, and then glanced down at his phone.

  
  


_ You have one new text notification. _ __   
  


_ galaxykris _ 🌟: Kim Junmyeon help

 

_ galaxykris _ 🌟: Jackson's upset I didn't tell him where I was going last night and thought I died when I didn't say anything back and almost called the cops 

 

_ galaxykris _ 🌟: save meeeeeeee i liked being with you more that hereeeeee   
  


 

Junmyeon's grin widened as he grabbed the bowl and stood up off the bed.


	11. [LIAR] IV / Graduation, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Mild language; implied sexual references

_ -Day 3; Friday, June 2nd, 2017- _

"Baekhyun!" Kim Jongdae yelled, walking into the part of the dorm where Byun Baekhyun was kneeling on the ground, taping boxes shut. "Are you going to graduation later?"   


"Why would I?" he asked, biting off a strip of tape. "No one I know nor care about is graduating."   


"Hey!" Jongdae yelled again. "Minseok is graduating!"   


"Again, like I said, no one I know nor care about is graduating." Baekhyun repeated, and Jongdae gasped again, throwing a shoe at Baekhyun's head. "Hey!" Baekhyun yelled, taking his off and chucking it at Jongdae. Dae dodged, laughing as Baekhyun pouted.   


"Anyways," Jongdae continued. "graduates are allowed to bring someone for free from a lower year. Obviously Minseok's bringing me, but Seo Juhyun doesn't want to bring anyone, so she gave her free pass to Kim Junmyeon who gave it to that Kris guy who gave it to Minseok who gave it to me, and I wanna know if you want it."   


Baekhyun leaned back, putting his hands behind him to support himself. "To third wheel with you and Minseok all night?" Baek questioned, shooting his friend a look. "No thanks."   


"I told you, Baekhyun." Jongdae said sternly, any hints of casualty and playfulness leaving his voice. "It's not like that. We're not like that. I'm not like that." his words seemed laced with venom.   


Baekhyun's eyes widened at Jongdae's last statement, and he brought himself up to sit on his knees. "' _ I'm _ not like that'?" Baekhyun repeated, shocked and surprised. "What do you mean 'you're not like that', Jongdae?"   


"Baek, you know I didn't mean it like that." Jongdae sighed. "And I just meant that I'm not gay is all." Jongdae shifted his weight around, pulling on his fingers.   


"No, no." Baek said, standing up. "I get it. Thanks, Jongdae. I'll take it." he rolled his eyes and pushed past Jongdae, venturing into the other part of the dorm.   


"Baekhyun." Jongdae whined, turning round to face his friend. Baekhyun had his back turned to him. "Dude, come on. You know what I meant. Why are you acting like this?"   


"Why am  _ I _ acting like this?" Baekhyun said in disbelief, turning around. "What about  _ you _ ? I found you outside the dorm building yesterday upset because you slept with Minseok. Which isn't a big deal, anyways. And with the fit you threw about it yesterday, how are the two of you suddenly on the best terms ever? 

 

“First, you have the nerve to make me drag your hungover ass back to the dorm from  _ outside the building _ . I had to cancel my plans to babysit you all day yesterday! And now you again, have the nerve to ask me if I want to come to Minseok's graduation with you? What about my plans, things I want to do and people I want to see? What about things I want to take you to? But no, it's all about Kim fucking Jongdae. But it's okay, because I'm just your roommate. It's my job to bring your ass back home in the morning and tell you you're not gay when you quite obviously are and to go to things as your plus one when Minseok can't."   


Jongdae stood there, blinking at a breathless Baekhyun from saying so much all at once and so fast.   


Baekhyun was always a talker; he could ramble on forever (who needed people to talk to when Byun Baekhyun could hold a conversation just fine on his own?). He was also very animated and emotional, but when he said all he had told to Jongdae all at once, anger and hurt in his voice, Dae knew Baekhyun was more serious about this whenever.   


Byun Baekhyun may be emotional and a talker, but Kim Jongdae was stubborn and firm, and wasn't about to give into Baekhyun's ramblings.   


"Baekhyun, all I did was ask if you wanted to go to graduation." Jongdae sighed, crossing his arms. "If you don't want to go, you don't have to."   


"No." Baekhyun said forcefully. "I'm going, and with you."    


"Fine. I want you to go, that's why I asked."   


"Good. 'Cause I'm going."   


"Is everything alright, Baekhyun?"   


Baekhyun was silent for a moment, averting his gaze from Jongdae and bending over to pick up the box he had taped up. "Yes. Why do you ask?"   


"You're acting a bit weird, is all." Dae muttered. "Anything you wanna tell me? What did you do that night at the party?"   


Baekhyun straightened back up, the box tucked under his arm. He shot Jongdae a look, smirking. "It's not a matter of what, but more of  _ who _ I did that night."   


Jongdae sighed, shaking his head. "I suppose I'm going to hear all about this?"   


Baekhyun nodded. "When I'm done being mad at you, which is when I finish putting some of these boxes away. Lucky you, this is the last one for right now."   


He made to open the door, but Jongdae blocked his hand. "Why don't you stop being mad at me now and tell me now and then go drop the box off?"   


Baekhyun sighed, setting the box down. "If you insist." he said, fake teasing. He sat down on the floor, bringing his knees up to his chest. "His name was Park Chanyeol." he began.   


"I think I've heard of him before." Jongdae said, squishing his eyebrows together. "I think maybe Min mentioned him before."   


"Does Minseok know him?" Baekhyun asked, trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice.   


Jongdae shrugged. "We'll have to ask. Anyways, carry on."   


"He's really tall." Baekhyun continued. "And he's obviously dyed his hair, 'cause it's like, a deep red. A nice red, though. I didn't really think I'd like that shade of red, but he makes it look good."   


"Baekhyun, you have little bits of red in your hair."   


"Yeah, but that's just bits of Kool-Aid I let Zitao put in."   


"Why'd you do that again?"   


"I met a bet with him." Baekhyun grumbled. “Anyways, we didn't do much, we practically came right here and did it." Baekhyun continued. "You should've seen it, he was so strong and-"   


"I think I've heard enough!" Jongdae cried, scrambling up. "I don't need all the details."   


"Are you sure?" Baekhyun asked, laughing.    


"Yes!" Jongdae exclaimed. "Now go take that box wherever you're taking it. We'll get dressed and head over to Minseok's dorm after."   
  
~•~   
  


_ /Chanyeol/ _

Park Chanyeol sat on the bare floor of Kim Junmyeon and Seo Juhyun's shared dorm next to Kris Wu, who was sprawled out on the tile, his phone in front of his face.   


"Are you done yet?" Kris called, not looking away from his phone.   


"I said five minutes!" Juhyun called as Junmyeon came dashing out and shifting through a box, pulling something out and dashing back into the washroom.   


"You said that ten minutes ago." Chanyeol chimed in, falling onto the floor next to Kris. "You were supposed to be ready an hour ago."   


Kris' phone chimed while Junmyeon shoved whatever he had taken back into the box, and then came and sat next to Kris and Chanyeol, resting his head on his knees.   


"Jongdick says they're just picking up Minsuck and then they'll be here." Kris said.   


"Don't call them that, that's not nice." Junmyeon commented.   


"And Minsuck? That was weak." Chanyeol added.   


"Jongdick was good though." Kris said. Chanyeol nodded in agreement.   


"Okay, I'm done!" Juhyun said, switching off the light to the bathroom as she walked out.    


Her blonde hair was tied up near the nape of her neck, her blue dress lace at her chest and then turning to satin and hugging her sides and brushing the floor.    


"Finally!" Kris cried, scrambling up off the floor. “Let’s go!” He dashed for the door, Chanyeol and Junmyeon following behind.   


Seohyun sighed and followed behind, her heels clicking rhythmically.   


The group met up with Kim Jongdae and Kim Minseok outside the dorm building, and it wasn't until Minseok had grabbed a small boy with red in his hair and bright eyes that Chanyeol had realized they had not really only met up with Kim Jongdae and Kim Minseok, but Byun Baekhyun, too.   


"This is Byun Baekhyun." Minseok introduced, and Baekhyun smiled. "He's Jongdae's roommate."   


The others reached forward to greet Baekhyun, but Chanyeol didn't move an inch until Baekhyun's eyes finally met his. "Hi." Baekhyun said softly, taking on such a tone as he did the other night.   


"Hi." Chanyeol replied, matching his soft tone. He never took his gaze off of Baekhyun, and raised his arm to give a small wave to the small boy with the red in his hair and bright eyes.   


As Jongdae surged forward, yelling about how he was determined to get rid of Minseok once and for all, the group moved forward, and Baekhyun fell into step with Chanyeol.   


"How are you?" Baekhyun asked, his voice dropping the low tone and replacing it with a bright, cheerful one.   


"I'm okay." Chanyeol replied, still not letting his gaze leave Baekhyun. "A little tired is all."   


"Not sleep last night?" Baekhyun asked, frowning. "I heard cutting back on alcohol, sugar, caffeine and nicotine is supposed to help you fall asleep faster. And no dairy after ten thirty."   


Chanyeol laughed, doubling forward and almost running into Junmyeon. That was the first time he ripped his gaze away from Baekhyun that night. "I literally live off of caffeine and sugar." Chanyeol told him, allowing his eyes to fall upon Baekhyun again as Junmyeon shuffled away, avoiding being hit by the clumsy giant again. "Alcohol I can't help, but I've never smoked."   


"Never?" Baekhyun queried. "I find that hard to believe. I'd be a liar if I said I'd never smoked."   


"Okay, I may have had  _ a _ cigarette in my first year or something, but I felt so shitty after I couldn't finish the whole thing."   


"At least it's not a regular thing."   


"Are you a regular smoker?" Chanyeol found it hard to believe that Byun Baekhyun was a regular, frequent smoker. Much to his relief, Baekhyun shook his head.   


"No, I've maybe smoked less than half a pack of cigarettes my entire life." Baekhyun said. "But some of my friends and family are frequent smokers, so with the amount of second-hand smoke I've inhaled, I probably should just take it up. Wouldn't make much of a difference."   


Chanyeol found it funny how easily he and Baekhyun were holding a conversation. Ahead of them, Minseok and Jongdae, who had been friends forever, walked side by side, silent. Even Kris mindlessly chatted to Juhyun, who laughed at something he had said, while Junmyeon walked between the two. He appeared to be questioning and regretting all his life decisions.   


All these people had known each other for a little bit at least, but alas here stood Park Chanyeol with Byun Baekhyun, so easily talking to him about anything and everything, despite not even knowing him for a week.   


Their situation should've been funny or awkward- they had hooked up once and now they were talking to one another as if they had known each other their whole lives. In all honesty, their situation should've been swapped with Minseok and Jongdae's.   


The group eventually arrived at the athletic and arts building. The school was using the gym and the auditorium for the ceremonies.    


"Words I don't know...another word I don't know..." Kris read, peering at a sign propped in the grass between the auditorium and gym pathways. He trailed off, sighing as he realized he couldn't read the rest of the sign.    


"It says that family members and younger years should go straight to the auditorium." Junmyeon cut in. "Graduates are to meet in the gym."   


"There's Chinese underneath, Kris." Chanyeol pointed out, pointing to smaller script written underneath the large, bolded Korean.   


"That's Japanese,  _ Arschgesicht _ ." Minseok snapped.   


"Min, will you _ please  _ stop insulting us in German?" Jongdae begged, and Minseok shook his head and said something Chanyeol could not understand. If he did speak German, he would wonder if it was 'no' or 'never', but he didn't.   


"We're off to the gym." Seohyun said, grabbing Kris and Minseok by the wrists. "You three head to the auditorium."   


"Yixing and Tao say they're already in the auditorium." Kris added, looking at his phone. "Just look for the tall kids who look high and lost."   


"High and lost tall kids. Got it." Chanyeol muttered, and he, Baekhyun and Jongdae turned to make their way into the auditorium. They walked in silence, Jongdae and Baekhyun exchanging glances every now and then. Frankly, Chan felt left out of the conversation.   


"So, Jongdae." he said, clearing his throat. "I don't think we've met properly yet."   


"You might not have, but I sure have." Jongdae laughed. "Baekhyunnie here is my roommate. I've heard it all."   


"Hey!" Baekhyun cried, shoving Jongdae and turning red, almost the exact shade as Chanyeol's hair. "I-I didn't-" he stammered out. For once, Byun Baekhyun seemed to be lost for words.   


"That's a lie." Jongdae accused, turning on his heel and walking backwards so he faced Chanyeol and Baekhyun. "I've heard all about how strong-" Jongdae was cut short by Baekhyun driving his foot into his shin, and he cried out in pain.   


Chanyeol laughed. "It's fine, really." he said, waving his hand. "I think it's actually kinda cute."   


"Really?" Baekhyun and Jongdae asked, stopping in their tracks. Baekhyun said it wondrously, as if shocked by it. Jongdae uttered the word with disgust, as if even proposing the idea of Baekhyun being what one would call 'cute' was preposterous.   


Chanyeol nodded. "Being so excited about one night is kinda cute. But that's all it was- one night." he meant to point his last statement at Jongdae, as he seemed quite wary of Chanyeol, but apparently the boys took it quite the opposite.   


"Sure." Jongdae taunted, beginning to make his way down the path to the auditorium again. He spread his arms out beside him and walked carefully, one foot at a time, as if walking an invisible tightrope.   


"Yeah, one night." Baekhyun muttered solemnly, hurt lacing his tone as he turned away from Chanyeol, chasing after Jongdae.   


Chanyeol lagged behind the two, watching their backs as Jongdae walked his tightrope carefully and Baekhyun walked beside him cautiously, pondering whether to shove Jongdae tumbling to his doom or leave him to it.   


Chanyeol regretted his words as he watched Baekhyun walk sadly, the energy that flowed through him so lost and gone now.   


He didn't mean to hurt Baekhyun, he wanted to see him again and run his hands against him and feel his lips against his and his skin again and feel the sensations that ran throughout his body when he touched him and he touched him, the lightning sparks and knot in his stomach and pure elation and numbness he felt with him, and he could tell Baekhyun wanted that again, too.   


Despite his actions, Chanyeol eventually fell into step with Jongdae and Baekhyun as the three strolled into the auditorium, abuzz with chatter and excitement.   


"Who did what's-his-face say to look for again?" Baekhyun asked, looking around the auditorium.    


"Huang Zitao and Zhang Yixing." Chanyeol answered.   


"Tall kids who look lost and high." Jongdae said.   


Before Baekhyun could say anything else, both he and Chanyeol had an arm slither around them, pulling them close into a hug, courtesy of the one and only Huang Zitao.   


Tao babbled about how great it was to see them, how they were, he was doing well, how they felt after the party, basically everything except the story of his great grandmother.   


Baekhyun babbled back, and Tao released the both of them, and Chanyeol could see how and why Tao and Baekhyun made good friends- they could talk about anything forever.   


Jongdae quickly introduced Yixing to Baekhyun, and the group of three-turned-five ventured into the auditorium to find seats to watch their friends enter the next stage of their lives while being embarrassed and embarrassing on stage.   
  


 

_ /Baekhyun/ _

To Baekhyun's left sat Park Chanyeol, the tall giant with the piercing eyes. To his right sat Zhang Yixing, the boy with the bright smile that immediately imprinted itself within Baekhyun's mind.   


Here he sat at a graduation for people he didn't really care too much about, sandwiched in between two handsome men.   


He leaned forward and shot Jongdae (who sat beside Tao who sat beside Chanyeol) a look. Jongdae did nothing but smile back at him and then lean back, away from Baekhyun's view.   


Here Baekhyun sat, pretending to pay attention to the graduation ceremony while his heart raced so fast it began to give him a headache.   
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations;
> 
> Arschgesicht (German, Fuckface)
> 
> *In German ‘nie’ means ‘never’ and ‘nein’ means ‘no’. They are pronounced similarly, especially with Minseok’s accent.


	12. [THE LONG GAME] IV / Graduation, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; alcohol consumption

_-Day 3; Friday, June 2nd, 2017-_

Kim Minseok paced around the gym, walking circles around Kris Wu, Xi Lu Han, and Kim Junmyeon.   
   

They were awaiting to be let into the auditorium for the graduation ceremony, and the gym was loud with chatter. He, Kris, and Junmyeon had arrived with Seo Juhyun, who was now only a few feet away, chatting with some others she seemed to know.  
   

They were all dressed well; formally. They were supposed to be wearing robes, but the majority of students were quite tall, and considering there was a large amount of them, the school ran out of fabric for everyone. They couldn't get another order in until after graduation, so basically said 'fuck it' and let the students wear whatever, as long as it was formal enough.  
   

Minseok was quite nervous- fuck, he was graduating university. He had to do this thing called 'adulting' now, which he was not thrilled about. He also worried over the ceremony and everything that could go wrong within the next few hours.  
   

"Twenty seven." Junmyeon said, counting off the number of laps Minseok had paced around the small group. "Twenty eight."  
   

"How are you not dizzy yet?" Kris asked, laughing. He slipped into Chinese, and Junmyeon, who was sidled up against Kris, under his arm, shot him a look, confused.  
   

"He's not spinning fast enough." Luhan commented, also in Chinese, and Junmyeon sighed, giving up on understanding the conversation. "Twirl him around a few times." Luhan sat on the floor of the gym at the feet of the others.  
   

"I'm okay, but thanks." Minseok snapped, halting his pacing for once. "I'm just nervous, is all. It kinda bugs me that you guys don't seem all that nervous or scared or anything." He faced Junmyeon, translating what they had said.   
   

That's what Minseok was here for- linguistics and translation, focusing more on the translation side of things. He loved the feeling of allowing people to connect and understand one another, despite the barriers of language.  
   

Junmyeon laughed. "Christ, Minseok. Do you how nervous we are? Kris and I laid on the kitchen tile in the dorms for an hour. Just thinking about everything."  
   

"That's what we were doing?" Kris asked, looking at him, confused. "I had an existential crisis for a few minutes and then fell asleep for a bit."  
   

"So that's why it was so quiet." Junmyeon muttered. "Makes sense."  
   

"I took a few shots before I came here." Luhan added, and then opened the side of his jacket, revealing a silver flask tucked inside. "I smuggled some more in, too."  
   

"Give me that." Kris said, releasing Junmyeon and grabbing the flask from Lu. Minseok snatched the flask from Kris, turning his back and unscrewing the cap before Kris could reach out to take it back. He brought the flask to his lips, chugging a small amount before he lowered it and handed it off to Kris, who in turn took a swig as well. Both promptly choked afterwards, coughing at the strength of it.  
   

"Hey!" Lu cried, reaching for it. Kris offered it to Junmyeon, who shook his head. "That's all I have. And if you keep showing it off you're gonna get me in trouble!" Kris shrugged and took another sip from the flask before handing it back to Luhan, who tucked it back into his jacket.  
   

"What is that, anyways?" Minseok asked, and it was Luhan's turn to shrug.  
   

"Man, I don't know. Er Guo Tou maybe?"  
   

"Shit man, really?" Kris asked. "Shouldn't have drunk it, then."  
   

"You drink that shit straight?" Minseok questioned. The alcohol was strong, much stronger than whatever they had the other night.  
   

"Well, you're not supposed to drink that much at once." Luhan stood up and brushed himself off.  
   

"When are we going in?" Kris whined, leaning against Junmyeon, who struggled to keep and push him up.  
   

"I'm not sure, but I'm gonna go find Jongdae quick." Minseok told his friends.  
   

"But Jongdae is in the auditorium." Junmyeon said.  
   

"I know. I'll be quick, I just have to tell him something." Minseok waved him off. "I'll be here before first call."  
   

"I'll text you when we get first call." Kris said, and Minseok darted out of the gym before anyone could say anything else.  
   

He dashed from the gym to the auditorium. He felt nervous and afraid, and wanted somewhere- _someone_ \- he could feel safe and secure with.   
   

He wanted the sense and feeling of familiarity, and the only thing he could think of now was with Jongdae.  
   

Minseok pushed through the side door, barging into the auditorium. It was busy and loud, even more so than the gym.   
   

He scanned the crowd briefly, and immediately spotted the deep red hair that belonged to Park Chanyeol sticking up above the crowd. If Park Chanyeol was there, Kim Jongdae shouldn't be too far behind.  
   

Pushing through people filtering in, Minseok stopped at the row where his friends sat, grabbing onto the arm rest of the aisle seat where Oh Sehun sat. "Jongdae." he said breathlessly, peering down the row. "Jongdae!" he exclaimed once he spotted his friend, and began to climb into the aisle over the feet of Oh Sehun and grabbing onto Zhang Yixing's shoulder, trying to reach Jongdae.  
   

"Woah, Min!" Kim Jongdae cried, jumping out of his seat. He gestured for Min to move out of the row, but he didn't move back until Yixing stood up as well, gently pushing and moving him out of the way.  
   

"Are you okay?" Yixing asked, stepping out as well. Sehun now sat in his seat with his legs pulled up against his chest as Jongdae scuffled past the others, trying their best to make room for him to come through.  
   

"I need Jongdae." Minseok told Yixing, trying to push him out of the way and back into the row.  
   

"Min, Minnie!" Jongdae grabbed Minseok by the shoulders. "Is everything alright?"  
   

Minseok shook his head. "I need to talk to you."  
   

"Fine. But Min, why aren't you in the gym? You'll get called up soon."   
   

"I need to talk to you, Dae!" Minseok repeated, and Jongdae lifted one of his hands off of him and laid it on Yixing's arm instead.   
   

"I've got it from here." he said, and Yixing nodded. "Thanks. I'll be right back, okay?" Yixing nodded again and told Jongdae something, but Minseok wasn't listening. He was focused on Jongdae's hands on his shoulder and the small of his back, guiding him out of the auditorium and through a pair of doors.  
   

They reached the outdoors, and Jongdae ran his hand along Minseok's arm and gripped his hand, leaving the small of his back. He pulled him around to the side of the building and then stopped. The two stood amidst some grass that seemed to have gone uncut for a bit, and the blades of the grass tickled their ankles and shins.  
   

"Minseok." he said, grabbing Min's other hand and holding it in his, staring him in the eye. "Is everything alright?"  
   

"I'm scared, Dae." He too, looked Jongdae in the eye.  
   

"You're going to do fine, Min." Dae consoled. "You go up and take a little piece of paper and you're done. Not that hard. And you're secure afterwards- you already have a job!"  
   

Jongdae was right- Minseok had already contacted a few translation companies and one had agreed to accept him.  
   

"But still." Minseok argued. "It's not just graduation and the workforce. This is it. I'm done. I have to find a stable place to live, manage my own money, keep my job, so many other things. And on top of doing basic human things, and somehow I'm supposed to settle down and have a family? Why do the sitcoms and dramas make it look so easy, Dae?"   
   

"You're overthinking this, Min." Jongdae said, releasing Minseok's hands and pulling him into a close hug. Their faces were tucked into one another's necks, their arms wrapped around each other tightly. "Just take everything one step at a time. Like a game, just a little bit at a time. Slowly, Min. Slowly." Jongdae said softly, playing with the ends of Minseok's hair.  
   

Minseok's breathing calmed down as he did, but his grip on Jongdae didn't loosen. "Are you okay now?" Jongdae asked, and Minseok nodded. "I'm going to walk you back to the gym now, Min." He released Minseok and took his hand again, and they stepped out of the grass and back onto the path, towards the gym building.  
   

Jongdae stopped at the door, and before he opened the door, regarded Minseok one last time. "You're going to do great, Minseok." He then took the other boy's face in his hands.  
   

Quickly, Jongdae pressed his lips against his, but before he could rip away Minseok's hands were on his cheeks, holding his face to his, and didn't hesitate in kissing him back.  
   

They stayed like that for a few minutes, but felt like an eternity of bliss in Minseok's mind.  
   

Jongdae still tasted sweet, but not as fruity as he did last time. His lips were no longer laced with the taste of alcohol, but there was no doubt that Dae tasted the twang of whatever Luhan had given him earlier.   
   

One of Dae's hands slid from his cheek and down his neck to rest on his shoulder, and Minseok did not loosen nor lose his grip on Jongdae's face.  


Finally, Jongdae ripped away, and Minseok's hand fell around his neck. He fixated his gaze on Jongdae's neck, the part where his neck began to meet his shoulder, but not quite what Minseok knew to be a faint collarbone.   
   

"For good luck." Jongdae uttered. "Not that you need it, Min. Are you okay to go in on your own?" Minseok nodded, and slowly Jongdae stepped away, letting their hands slide down the other to fall back at their sides.  
   

Minseok pushed the door to the gym open as he watched Jongdae walk choppily backwards, his hands shoved in the front pockets of his pants, their gazes never leaving one another.  
   

Minseok finally slipped in and closed the door behind him when he saw Jongdae turn the corner and began walking forward.  
   

"Dude, you're literally just in time." Kris said as Minseok re-approached the group. "They're just about to do first call."  
   

Later that night, Kim Minseok stood in line, sandwiched between other graduates. He sat beside them on stage, awaiting for his name to be called to accept his piece of paper.  
   

It didn't take him long to find Jongdae within the auditorium audience, and he locked gazes with him once again, and didn't look away until he stepped up when it was his turn. Even then still, he stayed focused on Jongdae, that small reminder that he was okay and that everything was okay.  
  

Jongdae reminded him that he was doing great, and that he just needed to take everything one step at a time.  
   

Despite his worries before, graduation wasn't horrible. For Minseok, at least. Perhaps Jongdae's good luck kiss did him well, because after receiving their diplomas, Kris fell down the steps leading outside (causing Junmyeon to drive off campus to pick up hydrogen-peroxide, _Polysporin_ and bandages), and Lu somehow got his earring caught in Sehun's jacket, who then cried because Huang Zitao had ripped a hole in the jacket trying to free them both.   
   

The group, which consisted of Byun Baekhyun, Huang Zitao, Kim Jongdae, Kim Junmyeon, Oh Sehun, Park Chanyeol, Kris Wu, Xi Lu Han, Zhang Yixing, and Minseok himself, hung around for quite a bit after graduation outside. The ten of them found a place amongst the grass of campus and laid about, passing Luhan's flask around.  
   

While Junmyeon cleaned up the back of Kris' leg, Tao turned to Sehun. "Aren't you like, a first year?" he asked, handing Luhan's flask off to Yixing.  
   

Sehun shook his head. "Second."  
   

"Then how the hell did you get here?"  
   

"I came to see Luhan graduate. But he said he had already used his free ticket on you, so I was going to pay my way in. I ended up getting stuck in line behind some family from like, Australia or something. Anyways, they spoke English, but not enough Korean to understand that the girl at the front of the line was asking for their tickets and money to get in.  
   

"So I helped them- apparently I speak English now- and then they paid for me to get in, too. I was gonna sit with them, too, but then I saw you guys. They were really nice; I'm pretty sure I agreed to go see them over the summer."  
   

"I can help you with more English over the summer if you want." Minseok told Sehun as Kris yelled out a slew of curse words when Junmyeon pressed more hydrogen-peroxide to the back of his leg.   
  

"I thought you were coming to visit me in China!" Luhan whined.  
  

"I'll make time for all of you, shush it." Sehun snapped.  
   

"What are you all doing over break?" Chanyeol asked, untying Baekhyun's shoelaces, despite his protests.  
   

"I'm going back home to China." Luhan said, taking his flask back from Yixing. "I'm going to look into work there- I know a guy who can help me get in."  
   

"My mom said she was going to take my grandmother and I on a cruise." Yixing contributed. "I guess I'm spending a few weeks seasick."  
   

Baekhyun laughed. "You look seasick just thinking about it." He reached over for Luhan's flask. "But I plan on finally beating my _Final Fantasy_ game. I'm gonna make Lightning my bitch."   
   

"How _dare_ you speak down to women like that!" Yixing shouted, and then stood up shakily, wobbling over to a cluster of bushes and promptly retching into them.   
   

Luhan groaned, standing up. "I knew he had that flask for too long." He walked over to Yixing, placing a hand on his back.  
   

"Junmyeon!" Kris yelled, swatting his hand away. "That's enough, you're making my leg feel worse than before." Junmyeon promptly tucked the hydrogen-peroxide away and spread some _Polysporin_ over Kris' leg, and then fiddled with a bandage for it.  
   

"What are you two dipshits doing for summer?" Jongdae asked them.  
   

"I'm trying to make it back to China." Kris sighed, smoothing a bandage Junmyeon placed on his leg over.  
   

Junmyeon turned to Jongdae, shrugging. "I'm not sure yet. I'll probably volunteer somewhere or something." He placed another bandage on Kris' leg.  
   

"Goody two shoes." Kris rolled his pant leg back down while Junmyeon placed the bandages back in the bag he had gotten from the convenience store.  
   

"I'm apparently going to Australia." Sehun chimed in, turning the topic back to not only summer plans but himself.  
   

"I plan on catching up on sleep," Chanyeol began. "but I'll probably end up staying up later anyways. I bought a new guitar and piano online, so I'll probably fiddle with those a lot."  
   

"You play piano?" Baekhyun asked, and Chanyeol nodded. "I know a little." Baekhyun continued. "You should teach me some more sometime."  
   

At that moment, Luhan and Yixing strolled back over, arguing in Chinese, and Kris threw himself into that conversation, pointing aggressively at Tao, who looked offended.  
   

"I'm going to go inside." Jongdae sighed, standing up from where he was sitting beside Minseok.  
   

"I'll come with." Minseok said. He began to stand up, but Jongdae placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down.  
   

Minseok's shoulder tingled, as if someone had shocked him there. He looked up at Jongdae as he removed his hand. "No, I'm fine on my own, Min. Washroom break." He turned around and started walking away, and Minseok watched him leave.  
  

It wasn't until after Baekhyun had stood up and fallen on top of Minseok as Chanyeol laid on the ground, laughing because he had tied Baekhyun's shoelaces together, that Minseok realized that Jongdae had walked in the opposite direction of the buildings.   
      
After Baekhyun rolled off of him, Minseok excused himself, running in the direction Jongdae had went.  
  

Minseok ventured into more field on campus, and he spotted Jongdae, lying on his back in the grass a few paces away.  
   

As he jogged closer to him, he could see the way the sun's rays hit Jongdae, illuminating his cheeks and jawline and dancing over his closed eyelids and laying gently over his fingertips.  
   

Minseok lowered himself to the ground, laying with Jongdae in the grass. He laid his head by his, his body spread out the other way. If you looked from above, they would have formed an 'L' shape.  
   

"I thought I told you I was fine on my own, Min." Jongdae said, still not opening his eyes.  
   

Minseok was quite the opposite, gazing up at the sky and studying the different shapes the clouds made. "Yeah, but you also said you were going for a washroom break."  
   

"Min, I think you're forgetting that unlike you, I'm totally okay with taking a piss in the woods."  
   

"I didn't know washroom breaks included naps on the lawn."  
   

"Min. Just go back, okay? I said I was fine, and I am, Min. I'll be back in a minute."  
   

"I'll wait. I'll walk you back."  
   

Jongdae didn't protest, but he didn't agree, either. Instead he just laid there, not ignoring but not acknowledging Minseok, either.  
   

And Minseok laid there with him, his eyes up to the sky but his attention to Jongdae.   
   

He moved his hand over, placing it overtop of Dae's.

 

Jongdae moved his hand away, placing it over his chest instead.


	13. [PURPLE] IV / Graduation, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; implied sexual references

_ -Day 3; Friday, June 2nd, 2017- _

All Kim Junmyeon could see was green. Green blades of grass stretched out before him, poking out at the sides of Kris Wu's legs and feet. His eyes stung, refusing to allow his eyelids to close.   


All Kim Junmyeon felt was the same green blades of grass poking him, itching his skin and the fabric of Kris Wu's pants and the warmth that Kris always seemed to radiate under his cheek as he rest his head in his lap.   


All Kim Junmyeon smelt was that same faint smell of musky cologne that stuck to Kris Wu, and the herby scent of the grass around him that seemed to overpower the much gentler scent of the cologne.   


And all Kim Junmyeon could hear was shouting. He not only drowned it out but couldn't understand what his Chinese company was saying until Byun Baekhyun cried out and Park Chanyeol cursed, and then he felt large, gentle, warm hands under his head, lifting him up and setting him on the grass.   


The blades of grass struck Junmyeon's face, poking him, and he forced his eyes shut, the stinging fading away from his eyes and his cheek cooling; already missing the warmth of Kris his absence left.   


Junmyeon didn't sit up or even bother to listen to the conversation that had now switched to Korean, a language he could understand until a shoe hit him hard in the side of the head, and he bolted upright, his hand flying to the spot on his head that now ached dully.   


"Junmyeon!" Kris cried, kneeling back down beside him. He picked up the shoe and chucked it at Xi Lu Han, who hit Zhang Yixing in the shoulder with it. "Are you alright?" Kris asked, taking Junmyeon's hand away and peering at the spot where the flying shoe had hit him.   


"Yeah, I'm fine." Junmyeon said, nodding. Kris stood up, pulling Junmyeon up with him.   


"Let's get out of here." Kris told him, holding Junmyeon's hand and half dragging him across the field. "I'm pretty sure Luhan is about to knock the shit out of Yixing, and as much as I want to see that, I also don't want to be collateral damage. I'll let Zitao deal with them; Baekhyun and Chanyeol will probably record it so I can see it then."   


"Why is Luhan mad at Yixing?" Junmyeon asked, kicking at the grass as the two walked.   


It was beginning to become dark, the sun readying to set, but not quite casting out gentle warm glows yet.   


"Lu said something when Yixing threw up and then he got mad at him, and then Luhan blamed it on me, so I pointed it at Tao, and then I let them argue it out."   


"And they're throwing Yixing's shoe around because...?" Junmyeon knew it was Yixing's shoe because it was a Chinese brand and Yixing was only wearing one shoe, being left with what was sure to be nasty grass stains.   


Kris shrugged. "Because they're idiots."   


Junmyeon could not disagree with that, and the two men walked in silence, moving off of the grass to the gravel paths that ran throughout the university campus, pebbles flying under his shoes as he kicked them gently.   


"Kris?" Junmyeon asked, focusing on the pebbled he was kicking.   


"Hm?" Kris replied. Unlike Junmyeon, he looked straight ahead, turning every once in awhile to watch Junmyeon kick his pebble.   


"What did you mean when you said you were 'trying to make it back to China'?" he kicked the pebble to the side.   


Kris clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and sighed, craning his neck away from Junmyeon. "Uh," he said, trailing off and laughing a bit. "I was supposed to fly out of Seoul to Beijing and then take the train to Guangzhou, but my flight was cancelled last night and I can't get another flight, let alone aligned train until, like, September or October." he laughed again, and Junmyeon could hear the nervousness within it.   


"Why was your flight cancelled?" Junmyeon asked, and he looked over to Kris, who frowned and shrugged.   


"Who fucking knows. 'Cause they decided to be assholes?"   


Junmyeon bit his lip, stifling a laugh at Kris' opinion. "Where are you going to go then?" he asked again, and Kris shrugged again.   


"I'll find a place to rent or whatever."   


"Stay with me." Junmyeon blurted out, and he hadn't even completely registered that yes, he did indeed say that until after the fact.   


Kris stopped walking, and looked at Junmyeon quizzically, still holding his hand in his. Junmyeon stared up at Kris, blinking.   


"I have room!" Junmyeon explained, trying his best to not let his fat tongue run over. "I've got a place of my own, and there's room for two. Th-three if we wanted." he caught himself before he said anything else, quite literally biting the tip of his tongue.   


"Are you sure that's alright?" Kris asked, and Junmyeon nodded, probably too aggressively, but somehow Kris agreed to stay with Junmyeon anyways.   


The two continued to walk again, still hand in hand. They walked closer to each other than before, someway, somehow. They eventually found themselves at Kris' dorm, laying in his bed with his laptop and a box of cereal carefully balanced between them.   


While Kris tried to get a movie to start with the proper audio, Junmyeon was shovelling handfuls of dry  _ Cheerios _ into his mouth, and he carefully rested his head on Kris' shoulder, closing his eyes until he heard the movie start up.   


They laid like that for awhile, Kris' laptop and box of cereal the only thing really between them. However, that didn't stop them from laying one leg over the other man's leg, and it didn't stop Kris from wrapping his arm around Junmyeon's waist, and it didn't stop Junmyeon from lifting his head off of Kris' shoulder, as it was still there, nestled nicely in the crook of his neck about halfway through the movie.   


It wasn't long before the box of cereal was moved to the end of the bed, the two moved closer, Junmyeon allowing Kris to wrap both arms around him and himself folding into the taller man.   


It also wasn't long before Kris' roommate, Jackson Wang, arrived, and upon laying eyes on the two of them, sidled against each other, he groaned and trudged further into the room. He returned a few seconds later and threw another box of cereal at the two of them, this time the box a bright red with rainbow cereal being depicted on it.   


"Keep the gay shit to yourselves!" Jackson whined, and then closed the door. Junmyeon heard him leave the dorm again altogether, and Junmyeon grabbed the box of cereal, reading it over.   


_ "Froot Loops _ ." Kris said, taking the box from Junmyeon and opening the top of it, and then grabbing a handful of the cereal and eating it. "It's an inside joke between the two of us."   


"Do I want to have this inside joke explained to me?" Junmyeon questioned, reaching inside the box himself.    


Kris shook his head. "Not unless you wanna lose any of your innocence."   


"Who said I was innocent?" Junmyeon challenged, looking up at Kris and cocking an eyebrow.   


"The fact that you need me to question your innocence says it all."   


Junmyeon frowned. Perhaps it was true- Junmyeon wasn't completely innocent, but it wasn't like he had went around and thrown it away, unlike other people he knew.   


"May I also remind you of Lu's party?" Kris pointed out, and Junmyeon flushed and buried his face in Kris' neck again. He heard Kris laugh- oh, how he loved that sound- and he wrapped his arms around him tighter, pulling him closer.   


The box of  _ Froot Loops _ eventually met the box of  _ Cheerios _ at the end of the bed, and the laptop was moved to rest atop the blankets, and Kris' lips moved to Junmyeon's forehead and then to his cheek and then to his lips, and it was a matter of time before the boxes of cereal and laptop were moved to the floor and Junmyeon's arms were wrapped around Kris' neck.    


One of Kris' hands rested on Junmyeon's hip, the other squished underneath Junmyeon, touching his back and the mattress underneath them.   


They didn't fuck. They didn't even undress- the closest they got was Kris' hand resting on Junmyeon's bare hip, his hand not entirely sliding up his shirt as his shirt sidled itself up when he laid down and moved around.   


They just laid there, Kris pressed atop Junmyeon, their lips locked. Kris' hands on his hip and back and moving to feel the base of his neck, and Junmyeon's arms wrapped tightly around Kris, not allowing nor giving him the chance to leave, not that Kris wanted to.   


Despite their lips pressed together, the little touches Kris gave Junmyeon was enough to set Junmyeon alight; sensations of what Junmyeon could only define as pure euphoria. The feeling in his stomach, twisting a knot and making his head feel airy and his legs like jelly.   


It wasn't exactly a sensation Junmyeon had felt before, but it was one he loved and wanted more.   


If this feeling was a drink, Junmyeon had chugged the first glass and was calling for round two.   
  
~•~   
  


_ /Kris/ _

Kris was on fire. Junmyeon had struck a match and held it to Kris, and he ignited and burned under him.    


Junmyeon watched as the flame spread throughout him, bending and crumpling and folding before him.   


All Kris could do was stand there and burn, and watch as Junmyeon lit match after match and tossed them at him, building the flame that engulfed Kris higher and higher and hotter and hotter.


	14. [LIAR] V / Kinda Cool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Sexual references; strong language

_ -Day 3; Friday, June 2nd, 2017- _

On the night of their friends' graduation, it wasn't long until all of Byun Baekhyun's friends had dispersed on their own.    


Kim Jongdae up and left, and Kim Minseok ran after him, never to be heard or seen again.   


Kim Junmyeon and Kris Wu left soon after, Kris getting upset with the others and bringing Junmyeon with him.   


Huang Zitao ended up lugging Xi Lu Han and Zhang Yixing back to the dorms, both of them being drunk and pissed off at the other over a comment Luhan had made (thus causing Yixing to "purposely" throw up on Luhan's new shoes), which quickly escalated, thanks to the amount of alcohol they had both (okay,  _ all _ , albeit Yixing and Luhan had consumed a considerably larger amount) consumed.   


That left Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol alone with Oh Sehun, the three sitting in the grass field on campus.   


Technically speaking, it was only Baekhyun and Chanyeol, as Sehun had fallen asleep on Tao, but was thrown into the grass when Tao left, but still continued to sleep nonetheless.   


"Do we just leave him here?" Baekhyun asked, poking Chanyeol's thigh with the toe of his shoe.   


Chanyeol considered the question for a moment, and then shrugged. "I'm not sure." he said. "He'll probably freak out when he wakes up and he's alone."   


"Do you know where his dorm is?"   


"He's a fashion major, is he not? So probably building two."   


"Who's his roommate?"   


"Man, I don't know." Chanyeol groaned. "Jung Hoseok, I think? Kyungsoo might know."   


"Who the hell is Kyungsoo?" Baekhyun asked while Chanyeol dug around in his pockets for his phone.   


Byun Baekhyun was not the jealous type. But Chanyeol had never mentioned this Kyungsoo nor had Baekhyun ever heard of him- what if he was close with Kyungsoo? How close was he with Kyungsoo?   


However, any worries Byun Baekhyun may have had were quickly shattered. "My roommate. He's in Sehun's year." Chanyeol gestured towards the sleeping second year with his head. "He's friends with him, too. He's stopped by the dorm a few times."   


Baekhyun knew what it was like to have people stop by your dorm for your roommate- Kim Minseok was practically his third roommate.   


Albeit, Baekhyun couldn't help but feel. When he grew to become worried about Kyungsoo, it was like the tack on the wall holding a poster up lost its stick and he folded over, only half of him hanging there. When Chanyeol said Kyungsoo was nothing but a roommate, it was as if someone had taped him back up, releasing the stress from him. Chanyeol had replaced his tape.   
  


 

_ /Chanyeol/ _

**chanyeol_pcy** : oh sehun fell asleep here and idk what 2 do wit him

**kyungsoo93** : wake him up.

**chanyeol_pcy** : kid could sleep through a fckn hurricane

**kyungsoo93** : kick him

**kyungsoo93** : scream in his ear

**kyungsoo93** : break his arm

**chanyeol_pcy** : ill try the screaming and kicking but I'm not breaking his arm

**kyungsoo93** : shame

**chanyeol_pcy** : who's his roommate

**kyungsoo93** : jung hoseok

_ /kyungsoo93 shared a profile: junghobihoseok/ _

**chanyeol_pcy** : thx   
  


 

_ /Baekhyun/ _

"Kyungsoo says to kick him and scream in his ear." Park Chanyeol announced, tossing his phone to the side.   


Byun Baekhyun lied down on his stomach, leaning in close to Oh Sehun. He screamed at the top of his lungs, and screamed louder when Sehun's hand came across his face, the younger boy also screaming.   


"What the fuck was that for?" Baekhyun exclaimed, holding his cheek. He shot up, sitting in the grass again.   


"Why'd you scream at me?" Sehun demanded.    


"You wouldn't wake up." Chanyeol chimed in. "Kyungsoo told me to scream at you."   


Sehun, muttered something underneath his breath, something about knocking Kyungsoo's lights out and a slew of supposed curse words. "I'm going to head back now." he announced, standing up. "I'm assuming the others already left, so I'll see you guys later."   


And before Baekhyun or Chanyeol could utter another word Sehun left, grabbing the remains of his jacket and pushing up his shirt sleeves.    


And with that, they were completely and utterly alone.   


Baekhyun sighed and flopped over, sprawling across Chanyeol's outstretched legs. "Either Sehun or Kyungsoo is going to end up with regrets." he said.   


"I ‘ave a feeling 's not going to be Kyungsoo." Chanyeol chimed in.   


Baekhyun flipped over again so he was on his stomach, looking up at Chanyeol. "I'm tired." he pouted.   


"Wanna go back to your dorm?"   


"Yeol! How much did you have to drink?"   


"Enough to want and admit to wanting to do you right here." Chanyeol said sensually, leaning down and pressing his lips to Baekhyun's. That familiar feeling Baekhyun got whenever Park Chanyeol looked at or touched him, or whenever he thought of those eyes.   


They stayed like that, in the grass, the scene around them was quiet, the only sounds their lips.   


"Yeol, what if someone catches us?" Baek asked, placing his hand on Chanyeol's wrist, which was unbuckling the button of Baekhyun's pants.   


"Barely anyone comes by here, especially at this time." Chanyeol whispered, diving in for Baekhyun's neck. Chanyeol had a point, the area was behind the school buildings, and the sun was beginning to set. No one was out at this time usually.   


Baekhyun touched his lips to Chanyeol's again, allowing Chanyeol to slide his pants and boxers off again for the second time that week, and as the two progressed, they were both unafraid of allowing themselves to be heard.   
  
~•~   
  


It wasn't long until Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun were back in Baekhyun's dorm, having yet another repeat of what they had done that night.

 

"I'm not going to lie." Baekhyun said, lying next to Chanyeol. One of Baek's arms was thrown out to the side, dangling off of the bed, the other strewn across his chest. "I like this. I like you. But we have  _ got _ to stop."   


Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol were nothing but a one night stand, and despite how Baekhyun felt, he and Chanyeol should not still be fucking, regardless of how it felt or how drunk they were.   


"I don't see a problem with it." Chanyeol admitted, turning on his side. He had one arm underneath his head. "Unless you're in a relationship or something- you're not seeing someone, are you?" he demanded, and Baekhyun shook his head violently.   


"Hell no! That'd be cheating. And I'm not a liar, nor a cheater."   


"Good. But that still makes you a liar."   


"What the hell have I lied about?"   


"Said you were single." Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol quizzically, and then Chanyeol grinned at him and brought his lips to his again.    


A fluttering feeling shot itself through Baekhyun, and he let go of Chanyeol's lips. "I don't get it." he was genuinely confused- he was single? Well, he didn't want to be, but that's besides the point.   


"Must I spell it out for you?" Chanyeol asked. "D-A-T-E-M-E."   


Baekhyun paused for a moment, repeating the phrase back to himself and then sounding it out. "Oh!" he cried when he finally realized what Chanyeol was saying. He laughed, covering his face with his hands. It was like the night they first met, when Baekhyun had to outright say he wanted to hookup.   


"Yes, yes." Baekhyun continued, still laughing with his hands over his face. "I'll date you, I'll date you."   


"Shit." Chanyeol said, laughing and slapping Baekhyun on the shoulder. "You better. I mean, I think three fucks kind of does it. That's like, what? Fourth base right there."   


"Isn't fourth base just home base?"   


"I don't know. I'm a business major, not a sports."   


"You mean athletics?"   


"Same thing."   


"And I thought you were a music major."   


"I am. First and second year I took business, but this year I decided to take music. But I might switch back or take law and justice, like Kyungsoo."   


"Why all the switches?"   


Chanyeol laughed. "I've been told I'm slightly indecisive. But I took business in the first place because I thought I could make good money with that. I'm not sure with what branch I would go into exactly- government, advertising, management- probably one of those.    


"But then I thought that I might get bored of that and that I was only in it for the money, and that I'd much rather focus on music, something I actually like, but then I realized that that's hard to make money in and that I'd rather have a boring job and financial security over none.   


"And this year I looked a lot into what Kyungsoo was doing, which is law and justice. Needless to say, it looked pretty cool and I want to try it out myself. It overlaps with business, too- I could go into government with them both."   


"That sounds kinda cool." Baekhyun said. "I will admit, though, they both sound more boring than cool. Like, who wants to sit at a desk all day? And numbers. You'll deal with a lot of those." Baekhyun made a sound as if he was choking in disgust, and Chanyeol shoved him playfully.   


"I don't mind sitting and numbers all that much."   


"You're crazy."   


"Yeah, well what are you going into then?"   


"Medical."   


"What branch?"   


"Midwifery."   


"Isn't that like, giving birth?"   


"In dummy terms, yes." Baekhyun said. "It's dealing and studying pregnancy, postpartum, newborn care, childbirth, reproductive systems."   


"So basically women's sex ed."   


"I guess, when you put it that way."   


"So you're looking at vaginas all day."   


"Kinda."   


"Cool."   


And that was how on the second of June Byun Baekhyun ended up officially dating Park Chanyeol, despite not knowing a lot about him.   


Byun Baekhyun would be a liar if he said the lack of knowledge he had on Park Chanyeol didn't bother him.   


But he'd be an even bigger liar if he said he wasn't excited to get to know the tall red-haired man whom he currently fell asleep on.


	15. [THE LONG GAME] V / Hurricane Jongdae

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Implied sexual references; strong language

_ -Day 3; Friday, June 2nd, 2017- _

As Kim Minseok and Kim Jongdae laid in the grass, Minseok couldn't help but let his thoughts wander to what is him and Jongdae.   


The kisses, spur of the moment kisses, kisses that tasted of sweetness.   


The nights they spent together, whether it was the other night with the grasps and gasps or the nights when they were seven, watching movies under Jongdae's covers late into the night when his mom thought they were long asleep.   


Every time he had held Jongdae, when he kissed him with everything he had but yet held back. When Minseok picked Jongdae up and threw him into his new swimming pool at fifteen.   


Every single waking and sleeping moment he has spent with Kim Jongdae, over twenty years.   


He thought of those nights, lying awake in bed, realizing he was indeed in love with his best friend.   


It wasn't a crush, it wasn't hormones, it was utter love. He was head-over-heels for a guy whom he knew wouldn't begin to understand, but perhaps now he was beginning to.   


"Minseok." Kim Jongdae said finally after a few moments of silence. He pulled Minseok out of his thoughts. "Leave."   


"No." Kim Minseok argued immediately. "Jongdae, why are you so desperate to get rid of me? You've been my best friend since I was like, born." It was crushing how badly Jongdae wanted to be alone- Jongdae's idea of alone usually included Minseok.   


Jongdae sighed. "Minseok, you're like, three years older than me."   


"Same thing, asshole." Minseok barked back.   


"I've told you not to call me that, Min."   


"What should I call you then?  _ Mon amour _ ?"   


"Minnie! You know I don't know what that means!" Despite Jongdae's recent attitude towards Minseok, he couldn't help but turn to him, a small smile spreading across his face.   


"It means 'my love' in French." Minseok told him. The younger man remained quiet, his smile faltering. He bit his lip, averting his gaze from the older boy yet again. "Jongdae. We can't just  _ not _ talk about what happened."    


Minseok knew that this was the reason Jongdae was being distant; he had seen it happen before in high school when Moon Byulyi kissed him during a game of Spin The Bottle at a party at Kim Seokjin's. Jongdae freaked out and blocked both Byulyi and Seokjin. He did it because he had what Jongdae insisted was a small crush on Byulyi, and Seokjin was unfortunately guilty by association (Minseok could always see through Jongdae, and knew his crush on Byulyi was much more than small). To this day, he still tries to avoid them at all costs.   


Minseok did not want this to happen to him. He wanted to be with Jongdae for until whatever came after forever.   


But Jongdae ignored Minseok.   


"I know you can hear me. And understand me, I'm not speaking Swedish." Minseok sighed and rolled over onto his stomach, his face hovering above the dark haired boy. "I love you, Kim Jongdae, and I know you do, too." Jongdae began to push himself up, away from Minseok, but the older pushed the younger down again. "I'll make you a deal."   


This caught Jongdae's attention. "A deal, Min?" he squeaked.   


Minseok nodded. "Mhm. I'll give you the die." He had moved the die into his dress pants pockets from his jeans after transferring the other contents of his pockets.   


"I don't want the stupid die, Seok."   


"Hear me out. When you want one thing and I want another, we roll the die. Seven or higher, we do what I want. Six or lower, you choose."   


"Choose what, Min?"   


"Here, I'll start." He sat up, digging the two small cubes out of his pocket and cupping them in his hands. "If I win, you have to kiss me." He tossed the die onto the grass. One rolled into a five, the other into a six. Minseok smirked, bringing his face closer to Jongdae's. "I win. You're in it for the long game, now."   


He pressed his lips softly to Dae's, and to his surprise, Jongdae kissed him back, going so far as the wrap his arm around Min's neck, pulling him down and closer.   


Again they laid in the grass, their lips locked, for a few moments, until Jongdae pulled away, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "No." he said, scooting back. "No, we can't do this. I'm not doing this with you, Minseok!"   


"Jongdae." Minseok said softly, reaching out to lay his hand on the younger boy's leg. However, Jongdae moved his leg away, out of Minseok's reach.   


"I'm not like this, Min." Jongdae said, crossing his arms. "This isn't me."   


"Who's telling you that?"   


"Myself, I guess, Min."   


"Why, Dae? Why?"   


"Because, Min." Minseok didn't answer Jongdae this time, unsatisfied with his answer. "Because I don't want to be like this, Min. This isn't me. Why?" Jongdae laughed, biting his lip and looking down into his lap. "Perhaps I want to be myself, Minseok, and you forcing me into someone I'm not isn't helping. I'm sorry, Min. I'm sorry I'm not who you want me to be."   


Now it was Minseok's turn to laugh. "Me? Forcing you into someone you’re not? Wake up and smell the roses, Jongdae. You're the one forcing yourself into someone your not."   


Jongdae regarded Minseok with a look of seemingly utter disgust and anger, as if he had just stepped in shit. "Fuck you, Kim Minseok. Fuck you."

 

And with that Jongdae stood up and stormed away, leaving Minseok sitting in the grass alone.   


"You just don't want to admit you're fucking gay, Jongdae!" Minseok yelled after him, scrambling up. "It's not me, Jongdae, it's you! I've come to terms with it, why can't you?"   


Jongdae ignored Minseok.   
  
__

_ /Jongdae/ _

Perhaps Minseok had a point. Perhaps it was Jongdae who was forcing himself into someone he was not, but if it was him trying to be someone he wanted to be, wasn't that him trying to better himself? Wasn't that him trying to be who and what he wants to be?   


If it was anyone else- literally anyone else- Minseok wouldn't give a shit about what they were doing. But no, Minseok always had to stick his nose in Jongdae's business.   


Jongdae moved from the grassy field to the gravel path and kicked at the small stones in anger, sending them flying.   


He eventually found himself back at the dorm he shared with Byun Baekhyun, and he slammed the door open and shut.   


He kicked at the trim around the doorframe, and entered his part of the room. He ripped the pillows off the bed, boot kicking one across the room. He tore his bedsheets off as well, and then moved to his bedside table. He ripped out an almost empty drawer, turning it upside down and letting the contents spill upon the floor and bedsheets.   


He tossed the drawer away, letting it clatter to the side. The drawer didn't contain much- a pen lost in the fabrics of the upturned sheets, a black notebook, a few empty wrappers, and a bottle of nail polish crusted shut.    


Jongdae picked up the notebook. That's what it was, a notebook. Despite Baekhyun's protests, insisting it was a diary, but it was a notebook. A place where Jongdae doodled when he was bored or made quick cheat notes or wrote things down he wanted to remember. It was not a diary, despite having a few dated entries where he wrote down his hate and love for things and people.   


Jongdae flipped through the notebook, coming across a page with different scripts and languages sprawled across it. There was a detailed sketch of himself in the bottom left hand corner. He was looking up to the right, as if trying to read what Minseok had written when he got his filthy hands on Jongdae's notebook.    


Jongdae promptly tore the sheet out of his notebook, and then continued to tear it up, ripping it into pieces, smaller and smaller until small flakes fluttered to the floor, resting amongst the sheets and carpet.   


He threw the notebook, letting it hit the wall and bounce back. He left the room, shoving a bar stool over and kicking at its legs. He rifled through the cupboards, pulling out a glass and the last of the alcohol he and Baekhyun had.   


Hoisting himself up onto the counter, he poured himself a glass, quickly downing it and diving in for round two.   


It wasn't until early morning, past five am but not quite six, that Byun Baekhyun finally set foot in his own dorm again, arriving to a passed out Jongdae atop a mess of overturned bed sheets. Not only that, but a trashed main room, too.   


"Holy shit." he announced, throwing the jacket he held in his arms at Jongdae, who stirred and sat up groggily. "What the hell happened here?" he demanded. "It's like Hurricane Jongdae came through."   


"I was mad, okay?" Jongdae snapped. "I'll clean it up tomorrow." He leaned back down, intending to fall asleep again, but Baekhyun reached down and ripped the sheets out from Jongdae, sending him to the floor with a groan.    


"Do it now." he ordered. "Your anger at Minseok shouldn't be taken out on my things."   


"They're not just yours!" Jongdae exclaimed, but got up despite it, and made the bed and set the furniture upright. "How did you know I was mad at Minseok?" he asked when he was finished, taking on a gentler, curious tone.   


"I have a way of knowing things." Baekhyun grinned, standing in the doorframe. "I'm not gonna tell you what to do, Dae, but I will tell you this- Minseok's right, you have to wake up and smell the roses. Face things for what they are and not make them into what you want them to be."    


And with that Baekhyun pushed off the door frame and entered the room, locking the door behind him.   


Kim Jongdae slept on the couch that night.

 

~

 

Translations;

_Mon_ amour (French, _my love_ )


	16. [PURPLE] V / You Don't Know That

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Implied sexual references; strong language

_ -Day 5; Sunday, June 4th, 2017- _

The next day, the two piled boxes of their belongings into the back of Kris Wu's car. Kris Wu drove Kim Junmyeon over to his dorm, and waited in his car while Kim Junmyeon brought down his last box.   


Within the last box was his books, stacked nicely and neatly within it.   


"Myeonie, wait!" a voice called out as Junmyeon was about to leave the dorm building. He stopped and turned around, and the bleach blonde Seo Juhyun was jogging towards him. In her hands was a small pink and white striped bag. "Myeonie!" she cried out again, and Junmyeon walked towards her.   


"Juhyun?" he asked, confused on why she was here.   


"That's still Seohyun to you." she said, slightly out of breath. She must've run all the way down the stairs from their dorm in order to catch him. "Anyways, I don't know if you have hands for it, but I got you this." she gestured to the bag.   


He bent his knees, lowering himself. "You can place it on top of this. But you didn't have to get me anything- I didn't get you anything."   


"Don't worry about it." she said, placing the pink and white bag on top of the box. "Anyways, Junmyeon. Take care, okay? Remember you can always call me if you need anything." She wrapped her arms around him, and he tried his best to hug her back, but the box in his arms strongly prohibited him from that. She pulled away, planting a small kiss on his cheek. "Goodbye, Junmyeon."   


And with that she turned away, walking back up the way she came. She didn't wear heels, and instead wore a pair of slippers, but Junmyeon could still hear the click click clicking as she left.   


Junmyeon finally left the dorm building, carefully balancing the box and bag as he walked over to Kris' car, opening the passenger door and sliding in.   


"What's that?" Kris asked, clicking his phone off and dropping it into the cup holder.   


"My books." he said, situating the box on his lap.   


"I mean the bag,  _ bèn dàn _ ."   


"Oh." Junmyeon shrugged. "I'm not sure- Seohyun gave it to me." He peered into the top of the bag, and pulled out a small package labelled eye mask. Also laying inside was a yellow and blue paperback book.

He pulled the paperback out, opening the front cover, and out spilled a small sealed envelope.   


Junmyeon picked this up, opening the envelope gingerly while Kris began to back out, getting bored of watching Junmyeon pull out papers. He placed his arm around the back of Junmyeon's seat as he did so, and then put both hands on the wheel once he was finished.    


Inside the envelope was a small piece of paper, folded carefully. Junmyeon unfolded it, revealing careful writing in black ink.   


 

_ Kim Junmyeon, _ _   
_ _    This is cheesy, I know, but with the kind of books I've seen on your shelf, you like cheesy. I wanted to say thank you for this year- believe it or not you have not only been the best roommate I've had, but by far my favourite. I only hope you can say the same for me. Remember that night before we left for Luhan's party, I told you I'd do something about those eye bags before we left? Unfortunately with graduation, we didn't have much time. Those eye masks should help. They have instructions on them, and you know what Google is. If that's still not enough for you, call me. I wanted to get you something more meaningful than eye masks (God knows if you'll even use them-which you should), so I found that book, too. It was recommended to me, so if it sucks don't blame me. Hopefully you don't have it, I couldn't see it on your shelf. Anyways, Myeon, have a good summer. Be well, eat well. _ _   
_ _    Lots of Love, Seo Juhyun (but that's Seohyun to you) _ _   
_ _    P.S: How's things with Kris? Remember safe sex is the best sex!! _ _   
_ __    P.P.S: I know you and Kris broke my vase. I took a few bills out of your wallet for it.   


 

Junmyeon smiled to himself, folding the letter up again and placing it carefully into the envelope. He placed it back into the bag, along with the eye masks and book.   


"From Seohyun, you said?" Kris asked. Junmyeon nodded, and then remembered that Kris couldn't see him and was focused on the campus road ahead of them, so told him instead. "Cool." Was all Kris said.   


They drove in silence for a bit, the only thing being heard was the slight rattle and shake of contents in their boxes.   


"What's the address again?" Kris inquired, stopping, waiting to pull out onto the highway.   


Junmyeon told him the address, and then pointed to the left. "Go that way." Kris did, pulling into the other lane sharply.    


The bag in Junmyeon's lap slid off and under the glove box, the book tumbling out and bending the corners of the papers.

His box of books threatened to tip over as well, but Junmyeon wrapped an arm around the box and grabbed the door bracer, holding on tight but still leaning towards Kris. His elbow knocked his.   


"Holy fuck." Junmyeon muttered once the car was straightened out and he was upright again. "What was that for?" He leaned over, picking up his bag.   


"Had to get into the other lane." Kris frowned.   


"So you jerked around like that? Oh my god, you're out of control. I should never have gotten into this car with you."   


"It's a busy highway, Kim Junmyeon. Do it quick and fast so you don't get hurt."   


"I'm pretty sure that's more likely to get us hurt than if you did it normally."   


"That is normally. Do you even have your license?"   


"Of course I do! Who do you think I am?"   


"Kim Junmyeon, if I'm not wrong." Kris mused, breaking his gaze from the road to grin stupidly at Junmyeon.   


"My lord, that was horrible." Junmyeon sighed, shaking his head. He wanted to look in the other direction, but locked gazes with Kris instead. "Road." Junmyeon said, pointing in front of him, and Kris snapped away, turning the wheel and changing lanes. He muttered a "sorry", and Junmyeon didn't answer.   


After a few moments of hanging silence, Kris poked at the radio, turning it on. A song came on, the beat skipping and changing pitch, and then a girl said a few words as an intro. The beat picked up again, and another girl began to sing, and then another.   


Kris groaned, changing the station. This station played a song that opened with a short bass riff and a boy immediately started singing, repeating the same word over.   


"Hey." Junmyeon frowned. "I liked that song." He jabbed the radio this time, turning it back to the first station with the girls, who were now singing with a lower and slower beat and melody.   


"It's overplayed. I could practically sing this song in my sleep." Kris switched the station back to the second one, where another boy was rapping a few lines.   


"Yeah, but it's good." Junmyeon switched the station back again. A girl was now singing small phrases in different languages, but Junmyeon could only pick up the Korean. He was unsure if he was understanding it as English or not.   


"Are you kidding me?" Kris asked, shocked. "She's speaking four different languages. Does she know she's saying the exact same thing? I will give her props, though, her pronunciation is good."   


As the girls launched back into the chorus, Kris hit the radio again, and Junmyeon didn't bother to change it back- it was clear he wasn't winning this radio war. "You understood all that?" Junmyeon queried while the singer sang about how much of a loner he was.   


Kris nodded, feeling Junmyeon's gaze on him. "English, French, Chinese, and then Korean." he held his right hand up, sticking up a finger as he counted off each language.   


"You speak all those?"   


"Mhm. Lived in Vancouver for awhile. Spoke mostly English there, and French was a mandatory class and utter hell. I think all French teachers comes from  _ Chingada _ ."   


"Is that French, too?"   


"No, Spanish. I don't speak Spanish, though. I just picked it up from a friend. She can curse in like, fifteen different languages. It's crazy cool."   


"Wow, props to her. That's some talent right there."   


The boy had switched to singing in English, counting, and Kris switched the station again. This song started out with clapping, and Kris slapped the wheel, singing along excitedly.    


"What is this?" Junmyeon asked, never have hearing this song before in his life.   


Kris ignored him, still singing (may he add, horribly) along until he got to what seemed to be a chorus. He reached over and grabbed Junmyeon's shoulder, shaking him. "It's Gwen Stefani, are you kidding me? Everybody loves Gwen Stefani. This is only like, the most fucking iconic song in all of history."   


"I don't listen to a lot of English music."    


"Then how did you learn English?"   


"I don't speak a lot of English."   


"You speak enough to read in it." Junmyeon didn't know what to say to this, so remained silent. Kris went back to singing, and when the verse came up, hit the wheel more with his hands and sang louder. Junmyeon couldn't help but stifle a laugh, watching Kris sing wholeheartedly.   


Eventually Kris switched from radio to CD and turned off of the highway and onto a back road, Kris still singing loudly.   


They soon turned onto municipal roads, and Junmyeon continued to feed Kris directions to his place, and eventually Kris pulled into a parking lot in front of a tall building.   


"This doesn't look like a house." Kris frowned. "Did we take a wrong turn?"   


He reached for his phone, but Junmyeon was already out of the car, popping the lid to the trunk and removing a few boxes. "No." Junmyeon replied. "This is it- I said it was my place. Never said it was a house."    


Junmyeon walked back up to the passenger side of the car, taking his box of books and the bag Seohyun gave him. Kris got out begrudgingly, regarding the building. "So you live in an apartment?" he asked. "You said there was room for the both of us."   


Now it was Junmyeon's turn to frown. "I guess you could call it that? It's not quite an apartment, it's larger. A flat, if you may. And there is room for the both of us, trust me on this."   


"If you say so, Kim Junmyeon." Kris chided, grabbing a box of his own and following Junmyeon inside.   


The two men entered the lobby of the building, and were met by a girl behind the front desk, who called and waved them over. "Myeon-ah!" she called. "Myeon-ah!"   


Junmyeon grinned and walked over to the counter, Kris trailing behind. He placed his box on top. "Baechu, hey. It's nice to see you."   


"How was school? Boring?" she questioned, twirling a piece of her hair around her finger. The ends of her dark hair were dyed pink.   


Junmyeon shrugged. "Wasn't too bad. Oh!" he exclaimed, and pushed Kris in front of him. "This is Kris! He's going to be staying with me for a bit."   


She smiled at Kris, who greeted her back. "I'm Bae Joohyun, but most people call me Baechu. Or Irene."   


"It's nice to meet you. I'm Kris Wu."   


"Ooh, Wu sounds Chinese." Baechu remarked, and then walked to the other side of the desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a key strung along a lanyard. "I take it you need an extra key, then?"   


"It's because I'm Chinese." Kris said.   


"Cool, right?" Junmyeon remarked, and then nodded. "Yeah, just one extra should be good."   


Joohyun walked over to a set of cabinets and unlocked one, digging through it and pulling out a key. She then shut and locked the cabinet again, and then tossed the key across the desk, where Junmyeon caught it and handed it to Kris.    


"Is that it?" Irene asked, and Junmyeon nodded.   


"Thanks, Baechu." he said, and then picked up his boxes off the counter. "When did you go pink?" he asked, changing the topic.   


  "Few days ago. It's just dip dyed Kool-Aid, though. I want to do every Kool-Aid colour this summer."   


"That's cool." Junmyeon said. "I'll see you later; don't forget your name tag." he reached over and grabbed at the hem of her shirt, pulling on it and then releasing it so it snapped back at her. She rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue while Kris and Junmyeon made their way over to the elevator.   


Junmyeon pressed the 'up' button, and the doors opened and the two stepped inside. Junmyeon set his boxes down on the elevator floor.   


"What floor?" Kris asked, whom was closer to the buttons. He had his finger outstretched towards them.   


"Seventh."   


"Seventh?" Kris echoed back, surprised. "Holy shit."   


"I usually take the stairs. It's not as much as you think."   


"Oh my god, we're taking the elevator every time. I'm gonna take those stairs once and die."   


"You won't die."   


"You don't know that, Kim Junmyeon. What if I had some ultra-rare stair climbing disease?"   


"You don't have that. That doesn't exist."   


"It's 2017, Kim Junmyeon. Don't discriminate against my tribunalitis."   


"Tribunalitis?"   


"Yes, tribunalitis. My death-by-excessive-stair-climbing disease."   


"That doesn't exist, Kris."   


"You don't know that." Kris said as the elevator doors opened, and Junmyeon grabbed his boxes off of the elevator floor and led Kris down the hall to his place, and shoved his key into the door, opening it.   


The two stepped inside, and were met with a narrow foyer decorated with a coat rack and wooden key table.    


Junmyeon ventured further into the place, dropping his boxes into what was the living room. It was openly connected to the kitchen, and the sofa and coffee table stood on top of a white carpet thrown on the wooden tile. They faced a television, which was mounted to the wall with a cabinet stacked with movies underneath. A wicker cabinet was pushed against the wall, which had a window stretched above it.   


The kitchen melted into white tile, and cabinets and appliances lined it, a kitchen table placed in the centre.   


"I'll show you your room." Junmyeon said. Adjacent to the living room was another hallway, and Kris followed Junmyeon down that. "That's the bathroom." Junmyeon said, pushing open one door. "That's an extra room, this one here is mine, and you can have the spare." He gestured to the door across from Junmyeon's. "I'm going to grab more boxes. Feel free to take your time, take a look around."   
  


 

_ /Kris/ _

Kris did, taking a peek into all the other rooms while Junmyeon did more box runs.   


Inside Junmyeon's own room was pretty bland, the curtains drawn shut so the room was dark. The spare that Kris was using was almost identical to Junmyeon's, but colour schemes were different and it was less personalized- Junmyeon had a few books laying around and another television in his room. He also had a massive amount of pillows and blankets thrown atop his bed.   


Kris looked inside the television cabinet, only to find every  _ Star Wars _ movie stacked neatly, on DVD and VHS.    


He was about to open the wicker cabinet when Junmyeon entered again, putting the boxes on the kitchen table. "Don't go in there!" he exclaimed, and Kris turned around, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. "It's not mine." he finished. "It's my mom's, she claims I need it so I just store junk in there."   


"If it's just junk why can't I go in there?" Kris asked.   


"'Cause I don't know what  _ kind _ of junk is in there."   


"Fair point."   


"Anyways, I think these boxes are yours. Do what you will with them." He gestured to the boxes on the table.   


"Do you need any help?"   


Junmyeon shook his head. "No, I've only got a few more. But thank you." Junmyeon hurried back out, and Kris walked over, taking his boxes.   


He made his way to his room, and dropped the boxes onto the bed. He ventured back out and stopped at what Junmyeon had called the extra room. He pushed the door open and flicked on the light.    


The room was lined with shelves, stretching from floor to ceiling. The majority of the shelves were lined with books, all stacked neatly. There was a small part with figures and memorabilia atop it, and they were also scattered among the books.   


Upon closer look, Kris found that they were all Star Wars figurines, and Kris didn't dare touch them, as they all seemed carefully placed on the shelves.   


Instead, Kris took out his phone, quickly snapchatting a photo to Xi Lu Han, captioned "my boyfriend is actually a child".   


Lu quickly sent a photo of a river and the edge of a bridge, captioned "is he even your boyfriend?".   


Kris sent nothing back but black after he covered the camera with his finger. "Not yet ;)"   


He clicked his phone away, and then took the elevator to the second floor. He took the last flight of stairs down to the lobby, intending on helping Junmyeon with the last of the boxes.    


Instead of the over-dramatized scenario Kris had imagined, where he swoops in to save Junmyeon from a toppling stack of boxes, he was instead met with a box-less Junmyeon, his arms wrapped tightly around the front desk girl.   


Perhaps it was just Kris' imagination or his rapidly blurring vision, but Kris Wu swore he saw Kim Junmyeon press his lips to Bae Joohyun's forehead.   


Maybe agreeing to stay with a man you had only known for about a week was a bad idea for your heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations;  
> Bén dàn (笨蛋) (Chinese, stupid egg)  
> Chingada (Mexican Spanish, an extremely far away and hellish place. To be sent there is to be eternally damned, and it is where those who have done awful things and/or annoy are sent)


	17. [LIAR] VI / It's A Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Drug mentions

_-Day 5; Sunday, June 4th, 2017-_

Park Chanyeol stood outside his dorm building behind a cluster of cars, all with their trunks popped open and boxes inside.   
   

"That's the last one." Do Kyungsoo said, wiping his hands on his already-grass stained jeans.  
   

"You sure?" Chanyeol asked. Kyungsoo wasn't normally forgetful (if anything, Chanyeol was more forgetful), but one time he had forgotten his entire project for class and Chanyeol had to drive all the way across campus to drop it off to him. Chanyeol had never let Kyungsoo live that down.  
   

"Gosh, Chanyeol." Kyungsoo sighed. "Yes, I'm sure. Besides, even if I forgot anything, you'd come and drop it off."  
   

Chanyeol wanted to protest, but knew Kyungsoo was right. Whether it was because of how kind-hearted Chanyeol was, knowing he couldn't let his friend suffer without whatever it was he had forgotten, or just because Chanyeol would be in area anyways, he would.  
   

Kyungsoo smiled smugly. "I'll be going Chanyeol. Take care."  
   

"Drive safe!" Chanyeol called out. "Don't smoke weed! Remember they're not strangers if they say their name first!"  
   

"Well, there goes my plans for the summer." a new voice piped in.  
   

"Shit, better just stay here, than." someone else commented.  
   

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo looked over to see Zhang Yixing and Byun Baekhyun coming towards them.   
   

Chanyeol lit up seeing Baek- seeing how his eyes crinkled when he smiled, the way he shuffled his feet slightly when walking short distances, the way the hem of his tee shirt hung down more than normal because that grey shirt in particular was a hand-me-down from his brother and thus a little too big for Baek's smaller frame.  
   

Chanyeol smiled at Baek, wanting to see him smile brighter, but Baek pressed his lips together and scrunched up his eyes, shooting Chanyeol a playful glare that told him to be quiet.  
  

Chanyeol read his expression and ripped his gaze away from Baekhyun, instead turning his attention to Yixing, who was telling Kyungsoo that theoretically, fish could live on land (Kyungsoo was having none of it).  
   

Don't get him wrong- Chanyeol did not want to keep his and Baekhyun's relationship a secret. Alas, he had to.  


 

_-Day 4; Saturday, June 3rd, 2017-_

_Byun Baekhyun kissed the crook of Park Chanyeol's neck, and a laugh escaped his lips, brushing against Park Chanyeol's skin._ _  
_

_Chanyeol laughed, too, and then moved his head, hooking his lips against Baekhyun's. Their lips moved together, until Baekhyun broke it apart._ _  
_

_"That's why we don't let Minseok watch any of our things anymore." he finished his story, and Chanyeol laughed again, wrapping his arms tighter around Baek's waist._ _  
_

_Chanyeol laid back-down on Baek's bed, Baekhyun on top of him. It was getting hotter and hotter the more they surged into summer, and both boys had stripped to nothing but their underwear._ _  
_

_Yeah, because it was hot. That was the exact reason why._ _  
_

_"Chanyeol-ah?"_ _  
_

_"Mhm?"_ _  
_

_"Will you tell me a story?" Baek closed his eyes and rested his head on Chanyeol's chest._ _  
_

_"I'm not very good at telling stories, Baek."_ _  
_

_"Just tell me the plot of one of your musicals."_ _  
_

_"'September 1st, 1989.'" Chanyeol started. He continued on, and Baekkie brought his lips to Yeol's collarbone and jaw. Chanyeol returned the kisses in between lines and phrases, his arms still wrapped tightly around Baekhyun._ _  
_

_Chanyeol was still reciting lines when they heard the dorm door open, keys jangling._ _  
_

_"Baekkie!" a voice whined._ _  
_

_"Shit." Baekhyun muttered._ _  
_

_"What?" Chanyeol whispered._ _  
_

_"That's Jongdae."_ _  
_

_"So?"_ _  
_

_"To put it nicely, he's being a bit of a dick lately because he's on his man period. He can't know you're here; he'll have my head."_ _  
_

_"I'll be quiet. Say we're working on a project."_ _  
_

_"Chanyeol, school's out."_ _  
_

_"Oh yeah."_ _  
_

_"Stay quiet. I'll send him away and then you slip out after."_ _  
_

_"Baekhyun?" Kim Jongdae called out again._ _  
_

_"I'm changing!" Baekhyun called out, rolling off of Chanyeol. He grabbed his shirt, pressed his finger against his lips, and then opened the door, poking his head out. "Dae?"_ _  
_

_"You better have pants on, Byun Baekhyun." Chanyeol heard Jongdae say, albeit muffled._ _  
_

_"I do." Baek said, dismissively. "Seeing as you're fully clothed, will you run out and get me a sandwich? Or a pizza we can split?"_ _  
_

_"Do it yourself."_ _  
_

_"But it'll be quicker if you do it. Get a pizza for the two of us; we can watch a movie."_ _  
_

_"But I need to talk to you first. It's important, Baekhyun."_ _  
_

_"We'll talk over pizza."_ _  
_

_"Ugh, fine." Jongdae whined. "But I'm taking your money."_ _  
_

_"That's fair. Hurry Dae, I'm hungry." Baekhyun whined back, and Chanyeol could tell Baek was giving Jongdae that big-eyes-pouty-lips look._ _  
_

_Baekhyun slipped out of the bedroom door, and there was more muffled conversation between the two. Chanyeol heard more key jangling and the door slamming and clicking shut._ _  
_

_"He left to get pizza." Baekhyun said, sticking his head in. "I'm watching_ Ferris Bueller _for the ten millionth time. Appreciate my sacrifice."_ _  
_

_Chanyeol laughed. "You're greatly appreciated, Byun Baekhyun." he got up off the bed and crossed the room, kissing him._ _  
_

_"Okay, now get the hell out of here." Baek smiled up at Chanyeol after breaking the kiss. "You should have enough time. Take your clothes with you, too, you'll need them."_ _  
_

_Chanyeol laughed and kissed Baekhyun again, and then tugged on his clothes. "I'll text you when I get back."_ _  
_

_"Good. I don't want a call saying you've died instead."_ _  
_

_"I promise you won't get one of those. Ever."_ _  
_

_Baekhyun led Chanyeol to the door, where he tugged on his shoes. "Chanyeol?" Baekhyun asked._ _  
_

_"Mhm?"_ _  
_

_"We can't tell anyone about this, can we?" his voice was low, solemn._ _  
_

_Chanyeol did not want to keep this a secret. He wanted to yell from the rooftops that yes, indeed, he was dating and perhaps very much in love with the one and only Byun Baekhyun._ _  
_

_But Chanyeol knew he couldn't. Not only was it not a good idea for Baek, but it wasn't like Chanyeol went around announcing he was gay (partially because he was bisexual)._ _  
_

_He didn't know how people would react. He hadn't had a proper boyfriend before, especially in university (there was that time last year where he made out with Xi Luhan, but that doesn't count)._ _  
_

_"No, I guess we can't." Chanyeol finally muttered, matching Baekhyun's tone. "We'll just keep it on the down-lo. It'll make it more exciting." he caught Baekhyun's gaze, and smiled at him._ _  
_

_Baek smiled back, although half-heartedly. "I guess. I'll see you later, Park Chanyeol."_ _  
_

_Chanyeol leaned over, kissed Baekhyun again, and then opened the door. “Take care.”_ _  
_

_“Text me!” Baek called, and Chanyeol slipped out the door, letting it close behind him._ _  
_

_Park Chanyeol wanted to tell Byun Baekhyun he loved him._ _  
_

_He didn’t and went down the hallway, skirting out of Byun Baekhyun’s dorm building and over to his own._   


 

_/Baekhyun/_

_“I love you, Park Chanyeol.” Baekhyun told the closed door, his arms wrapped around himself._


	18. [THE LONG GAME] VI / Definition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; implied sexual references

_WARNINGS: Strong language; implied sexual references_

_-Day 4; Saturday, June 3rd, 2017-_

The day before Kim Jongdae ended up at Kim Minseok’s home in Guri, Gyeonggi-do, around an hour away from his own home in Siheung, making out with his best friend, Kim Minseok, Kim Jongdae stood outside his own dorm door, holding a box of pizza.  
   

“Baekkie!” Kim Jongdae called, knocking on the door. “Let me in! My hands are full!”  
   

The door opened a few moments later, a smiling Byun Baekhyun behind it. “Oh joy!” he exclaimed, grabbing the pizza box out of Jongdae’s hands. “I got the movie set up.”  
   

Jongdae followed Baekhyun into the dorm, where he really did have the movie set up- _Ferris Bueller_ was up and ready to go. Jongdae half expected that he wouldn’t have the movie ready; he had made him and his other friends watch it so many times they were probably plotting to burn his CD and email _Netflix_ to take it down.  
   

Baekhyun sat on the sofa, opened the pizza box, and took out a slice. “So, you wanted to talk?” he asked through a mouthful of pizza.  
   

Jongdae nodded, sitting beside Baek on the couch. He leaned over, took a slice from the box, and pressed the play button. “It’s about Minseok.”  
   

Baekhyun groaned. “Not surprised. What now? Realized you really do want his dick?”  
   

“I talked to him today.”  
   

“Wow, good for you. They say social interaction is important.”  
   

“Baekhyun, please.” Jongdae pleaded. He was serious, his tone desperate.  
   

“Fine, fine.” the other boy said, waving his hand dismissively. “What happened?”  
   

 

_-Day 3; Friday, June 2nd, 2017-_

_Turns out Kim Minseok was right- Kim Jongdae really did sleep like a princess. And sleeping on the couch did not fit Jongdae’s sleeping standards._ _  
_

_Jongdae laid awake all night, allowing his thoughts to wander. He thought about what both Byun Baekhyun and Kim Minseok told him, about having to face things for what they were._ _  
_

_Was he really a homosexual? Or was he straight? Neither? Both?_ _  
_

_It hadn’t occurred to him until now that there was the possibility of being both gay and straight. He knew there was a term for it- his friends had thrown it around._ _  
_

_What if he was? Would his mother throw him out? Would his friends hate him? Would anyone he dated disregard him? Would he fail to get his classical studies degree? Would he get fired from any job he had in the future? Would he end up completely and utterly alone because of it?_ _  
_

_Now Jongdae understood why he was so afraid to face it, face what Minseok and Baekhyun called the truth._ _  
_

_In his world, things worked out for you if you were what people wanted you to be. And society had this idea of a perfect person, and being gay or a mix of both or neither did not fit in this description._ _  
_

_Jongdae had high expectations for himself, and not fitting this perfect image scared him. Not to say that not being straight made you imperfect or anything less, but society is a homophobic bitch._ _  
_

_Not being able to take it anymore, Jongdae sat up off the sofa and reached for his phone. Squinting at the sudden brightness of the screen, he opened_ Google _, quickly typing in ‘sexuality’. It brought him to a_ Wikipedia _page, labelled ‘human sexuality’. He quickly skimmed the page, but found that that was not what he was looking for._ _  
_

_He tried again, this time searching ‘sexualities’. He was brought to a page, listing different LGBT terms and their definitions in alphabetical order. He skimmed through some, reading over definitions for ally and bicurious._ _  
_

_He liked that last term, ‘bicurious’._ _  
_ ****

**_bicurious_ ** _\- a curiosity about having attraction to people of the same gender/sex_

 **_biphobia/biphobic_ ** _\- a range of negative attitudes one may have or express towards bisexual individuals._

 **_bisexual_ ** _\- a person who is emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to males and females._ _  
_

_Jongdae was unsure how to feel about some of these terms, but he knew he liked the broadness of it- bi._ _  
_

_He clicked out of the page and set his phone down._ _  
_

Bi _. He liked this. He liked this very much. He was confused as to how someone could love four characters, two letters, and one syllable so much. But he did._  
    
~•~

_-Day 4; Saturday, June 3rd, 2017-_

_The next day, Kim Jongdae left his dorm, hiking over to Kim Minseok’s. He knew this would be one of the last times he would do this, seeing as they were to be out of their dorms by tomorrow and Kim Minseok had now graduated._ _  
_

_He approached Minseok’s dorm door, and rapped thrice upon it._ _  
_

_The door opened, and a sleepy looking Zhang Yixing stood behind it. He wore nothing but a pair of boxers, one Jongdae assumed he had slipped on to answer the door. “Dae?”_ _  
_

_“Yixing, hi.” Jongdae said, smiling. “Is Minnie here?”_ _  
_

_“I think.” Yixing muttered. He squinted at Jongdae, as if the light was still too much for his slowly awakening eyes. “Minseok!” he called, turning around. “DaeDae’s here!” Jongdae grimaced at the sound of the old nickname._ _  
_

_Minseok came up behind Yixing, taking the door from him. “Thanks.”_ _  
_

_“I’m going back to bed.” Yixing said, and then ventured back into the dorm._ _  
_

_Minseok turned to Jongdae. “Tell me why I shouldn’t have half a mind to close this door on you.”_ _  
_

_“Minseok. I have something important to tell you.” Jongdae said, still standing outside the dorm._ _  
_

_“Go on.”_ _  
_

_Jongdae opened his mouth, ready to speak. He had practiced what he was going to tell Minseok all last night and on the way to his dorm, refining his speech to the best it could be._ _  
_

_But the words left him, leaving him with nothing, barely enough air to make a sound. Minseok looked at him, confused._ _  
_

_“I’m bisexual, Min.” Jongdae said finally, letting the words tumble out of his mouth._ _  
_

_So much for his practiced speech._ _  
_

_Minseok shot Jongdae an exasperated look. “No shit, Sherlock.” he scoffed, and made to close the door._ _  
_

_Jongdae stuck his arm in the door, preventing Minseok from shutting it completely. “Min, wait! There’s more.”_ _  
_

_Minseok opened the door, and Jongdae stepped back into the hall. “Do I want to hear it?”_ _  
_

_“I’m sorry, Min. I’m so, so sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me- Baekhyun says I’m on my man period- but I took it all out on you and I shouldn’t have. I love you, Min-“_ _  
_

_“Is this why you came, Dae?” Minseok cut Jongdae off. “Are you going to freak out and leave again? Leave me here, thinking you’ve finally come around, and then tell me you’re done with it later? Leave me wondering where I went wrong, how things will work out, and then just show up yet again, kiss me, make me think you’ve changed and we’ll work out, just to tell me you’re done again and end up at square one? Are you just here to play with me? I’m not your toy, Kim Jongdae.”_ _  
_

_Jongdae was taken aback by Minseok’s statement. He knew he was playing with him, kicking him around the curb, but didn’t know it had hurt him this much. “Min, I’m here to stop that.”_ _  
_

_“So make up your mind,_ Mutterficker _. Do you love me or not? Because I’m tired of chasing after you, Jongdae.”_ _  
_

_“I do, Minseok. I do.” he pleaded, his voice cracking and a lump forming in his throat._ _  
_

_“Are you just saying that, or do you mean it this time?”_ _  
_

_“I don’t want to lose you, Minnie.”_ _  
_

_“Are you just saying that, or do you mean it this time?”_ _  
_

_“I need you, Min.”_ _  
_

_“Answer the question!”_ _  
_

_Jongdae didn’t answer the question, and instead stepped forward, kissing Minseok. He grabbed his face with both his hands, kissing him as Min had kissed him just a few hours ago the previous day._ _  
_

_“It’s nice that the two of you are finally relieving some of that sexual tension- it’s so thick I could cut it- but I’m trying to sleep my stress and hangover away, so if you two could either do that elsewhere or just_ not _, that’d be greatly appreciated.” Yixing said, standing in the hall again._  
  

 

“So what does that mean, then?” Byun Baekhyun asked, throwing the remains of his pizza crust into the box.  
   

“First things first, I’m bi.” Kim Jongdae started.  
   

“We all already knew that, Jongdae. I mean, what happened next with you and Minseok?”  
   

Jongdae reached forward, handing Baekhyun another slice of pizza. “That’s harder to explain.”  
   
  

_/Minseok/_

_-Day 4; Saturday, June 3rd, 2017-_

_“Here.” Kim Minseok said, sitting on the grass outside. He held two dice in his hands, shaking them. “Seven or higher we stay as friends. Six or lower, I’ll take you out.”_ _  
_

_“Who said you were the one taking me out, Min?” Kim Jongdae argued._ _  
_

_“Me.” Minseok said, and then released the dice, letting them fall into the grass._ _  
_

_The first die tumbled into a one._ _  
_

_The second die tumbled into a four._ _  
_

_Minseok’s lips were on Jongdae’s._ _  
_

_This time, neither pulled away._  
  
~•~  
  

Now, you’re probably wondering- ‘why the sudden change of heart?’ At first it was Kim Minseok who was inviting, wanting nothing more but Kim Jongdae to be with him. But alas, now our roles are reversed, with Kim Minseok seemingly pushing Kim Jongdae away.  
   

Let us explain.  
   

On the night of June second, the day Kim Minseok graduated university, he stood in the grass by the class buildings, alone.  
   

He felt an awash of emotions- he was fuming, but utterly broken at the same time.  
   

In his sophomore year of high school, Minseok read Victor Hugo’s _Les Misérables_ . He read it when he was first beginning to study English. He found himself confused at the statement, “ _No one, not even himself, could have described his feeling. We have to imagine utmost violence in the presence of utmost gentleness._ ” He was confused on how this worked, as both feelings of violence and gentleness were on two completely different sides of the scale.  
   

But now, standing in that field behind the class buildings did he not only understand what Hugo meant but what Jean Valjean had felt, albeit for different reasons.  
   

He also understood that although he could understand seemingly any and every language, there were more ways of communication and connection that weren’t language, but rather emotion and feeling and longing, that perhaps he didn’t completely understand.  
   

He had always thought of Jongdae not only as his best friend, but his past, present, and future, the one person he wanted to spend his forever with. And whatever this feeling he had towards Jongdae and whatever forever meant were unclear to him.  
   

Minseok sunk into the grass, and it was here that he also realized his relationship with Jongdae. He had spent the last how many years chasing after him, his forever, but it was here that it truly dawned on him that maybe Jongdae didn’t see Minseok the same way he saw him.  
   

It was here that Minseok realized that Jongdae had different plans than him, plans that didn’t involve him, and that it was time to let Jongdae go.  
   

It was time he allowed other people into his life, ones he wouldn’t waste years and tears on.  
   

It was time Jongdae stopped using him and his emotions and found someone else to play around with.  
   

Kim Minseok sat in the grass for a few moments longer, and then stood up, making his way to his dorm.

 

love  
    _[luhv] [noun]_  
      1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person  
      2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS;  
> Mutterficker (German, motherfucker)  
> Les Misérables (French, the miserables; considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century)


	19. [PURPLE] VI / Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Homophobia

_ WARNINGS: Homophobia _

_ -Day 5; Sunday, June 4th, 2017- _

Kris Wu didn’t say anything to Kim Junmyeon about Bae Joohyun when he returned to the apartment, dropping off the last of the boxes from the car.   


Kris didn’t say anything to Junmyeon about Joohyun when he asked if he was hungry and what he wanted for dinner.   


He didn’t say anything to him about her when he asked him if there was something bothering him when he handed him a Thai takeout menu.   


He especially didn’t mention her to Junmyeon before the two men went to bed that night, and he didn’t say anything when he laid awake that night, the first night he had spent under the same roof as Junmyeon without him sleeping cuddled up to him, Kris’ arm wrapped around him.   


Kris couldn’t sleep. The act of Junmyeon kissing Joohyun, his arms wrapped around her, replayed and replayed over and over in his head. It just became more vibrant when he closed his eyes.   


He understood Junmyeon knew more people than just him. But what he didn't understand was how he could kiss her, when just a little over 24 hours ago he had kissed him, kissing him deeply and with affection.   


How could he do that? How could Junmyeon do that to him?   


Unbeknownst to Kris, Junmyeon laid awake in the room next to his, mulling over just how he could murder Joohyun’s recent ex, Park Sooyoung, and get away with it.

 

_ -Day 6; Monday, June 5th, 2017- _

The next morning, Kris awoke before Junmyeon, which was no surprise- it was four in the morning.   


By the time Junmyeon emerged from his room, messy hair, squinty eyes, rubbing his cheek, and shuffling his feet at nine, Kris had showered, went to the corner convenience store at seven, unpacked some of his own things, rooted through Junmyeon’s cupboards, and looked at some of his books.   


He was playing one of Junmyeon’s video games while hanging upside down from the sofa, his still-drying toes hanging over the back of the couch and his head close to the coffee table when Junmyeon regarded him. “What are you doing?” he asked, peering over the top of the couch.   


“Playing one of your games.” Kris replied. “Don’t worry, I made a new game.”   


“I could literally not care less, that one's not mine.” It was one his friend Kim Seokjin had left a while ago and never bothered to pick back up. “Why do your toes look like Kim Minseok threw up on them?”   


“I went to the corner store and bought some nail polish.” He wiggled his toes at Junmyeon, and each toe was carefully painted a different colour. “And a box of  _ Rice Krispies _ because the stuff you had expired in like, 2015. Did you know they sell nail polish there for like, five won? That’s way cheaper than in Canada- one bottle is like, ten bucks.”   


“Five  _ hundred _ won, Kris.” Junmyeon corrected.   


“Same thing.”   


“You can’t even have five won. Perhaps five  _ jeon _ , but no one uses those anymore, anyways.”   


“I stopped listening at ‘you can’t even’.”   


“Fair. How long have you been up for?” Junmyeon asked, steering the conversation back on course.   


“I woke up at four. Well, I didn’t really _ wake up _ ; I never really slept.”   


“And you painted your nails for five hours?”   


“No, my toes only took me an hour. First I showered, and then I went through your cupboards and tried all the different kinds of cereal you had, even the expired ones. Those didn’t taste too good. Then I threw the expired cereals up, so then I made a mega toast sandwich. There’s still some left, if you want it. It was about seven then, so I went down to the store and bought nail polish, cereals, more bread, and I found some cool ice creams I bought- there’s still some in the freezer for you- and a magazine I’ve torn all the posters out of already. I went online and tried to guess your credit card number, and then I went through your bookshelf, but couldn’t find one I found really interesting so I went through the video games and then you got up.”   


“So should I expect more stuff like this when I get up then?” Junmyeon asked, wandering over to the kitchen. What Kris had called a ‘mega toast sandwich’ was sitting on the counter. It was just pieces of toast with something different spread on one side mashed together- Junmyeon counted four different slices with jam, peanut butter, honey, and  _ Nutella  _ spread across them.   


“No, not really.” Kris said, pausing his game and bringing himself upright, but not without whacking his forehead off of the coffee table. “I’m good.” he muttered, sitting on his knees.   


Junmyeon threw Kris’ ‘mega toast sandwich’ into the trash, and opened the cupboard, pulling out one of the now many boxes of cereal he possessed, thanks to Kris.   


“Kim Junmyeon?” Kris asked.   


“You can call me just Junmyeon, you know.” Junmyeon told him, dumping a random box he pulled out into a bowl.   


“Well, Just Junmyeon?”   


“Yes?” Junmyeon replied, sighing. He put the box back in the cupboard and turned to look at Kris, who was smiling stupidly at his joke. Junmyeon was known to tell awful jokes, but Kris’ were what Park Chanyeol would call a ‘’truly, you didn’t think this through’ kind of stupid’.   


“Who was that girl yesterday?” he asked, wiping the smile off of his face, although not becoming quite serious.   


“Who? Seohyun?” he posed, an expression of confusion plastered across his face.   


“No, the one at the front desk.”   


“Oh. Bae Joohyun. Why?” Junmyeon carefully poured milk into his cereal.   


“How do you know her?”   


“I went to school with her.” Junmyeon explained. “Since elementary. She’s really the only reason I managed to get this place. Once the old woman who used to live here died, she pulled some strings and held the spot for me.”   


“Oh.” Kris muttered. “Are you close with her?”   


Junmyeon placed his cereal on the table. “I guess? Not extremely close with her, but not like, best friends with her? Why?” Junmyeon asked, looking at Kris with his eyebrows furrowed.   


“Why’d you kiss her yesterday?” he blurted, standing up off the sofa. His tone was full of accusation.   


Kris was not jealous. He didn’t care who Junmyeon put his lips on, but rather only cared to know because he wanted to know more about Junmyeon.   


At least that’s what he had convinced himself last night to believe.

Perhaps he  _ was _ a little jealous and did care a  _ little _ bit about who Junmyeon put his lips on (especially if it was him).   


Junmyeon, who was pushing the cereal in his bowl around with a spoon, looked up and over at Kris. He was still heavily confused by Kris’ questions and behaviour. Why did it matter to him? How did he even know?

 

“Comfort.” he said, and now it was Kris’ turn to give him a look of confusion. “Her girlfriend for quite a few years recently broke up with her. If the cops come to the door looking for me, tell them you’ve never heard of a ‘Kim Junmyeon’.”   


Needless to say, that was not the answer Kris was expecting. Not the whole girlfriend ordeal, but the cops comment had Kris taken aback. “I’m rooming with a murderer?” he exclaimed.   


“Soon to be murderer.” Junmyeon corrected, shovelling a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.    


Kris laughed. “And why are you murdering this girl?” he asked, entertaining him.    


“All’s fair in love and war.” Junmyeon shrugged.   


“ _ Bīng bù yàn zhà _ .”   


“I’m going to pretend I know what that meant.”

 

Later that afternoon, Kris sat at the table. He had spilled any loose change he had onto the table, and had rummaged around for more. He was carefully balancing a penny on its side when Junmyeon came into the main room, his hair still wet and slightly curled.    


“I’m going grocery shopping.” he announced. “Care to come?”   


Kris looked up from his intense penny balancing session, shrugging. “Sure.” He blew at one of the pennies, letting it fall over and clatter to its side. He stood up while Junmyeon grabbed the door.   


“It’s not too far, we can walk.” Kris said as they entered the parking lot. They walked straight through the lobby. Kris noticed it was some younger man behind the front desk today instead of Joohyun.   


“Unless you plan on carrying all those groceries, I think we should drive.” Junmyeon shot back. “We don’t have many groceries, considering we were in the dorms for the past few months.”   


Kris frowned. “I guess that’s true.” Kris was used to returning home to spend the summer with his family, where they usually had all their groceries already and he could take what he wanted and then have his mom tell him he can’t eat that much junk food (yet she always bought more and made sure to have it when Kris came back).   


The two approached Kris’ car, and Junmyeon slid into the passenger's seat while Kris drove. He placed an arm around the back of Junmyeon’s seat as he backed out, and then placed both hands on the wheel when he was straightened out.   


Kris let Junmyeon play with the radio, flipping between channels and pausing to make silly comments about what the hosts were playing and talking about and what callers were saying.   


As much as Kris was paying attention to the road, he paid even more attention to Junmyeon. The way he became slightly annoyed when a song he thought to be overplayed came on or how he lit up when an artist or song he liked played is what Kris paid attention to, and what made Kris fall for Junmyeon just a little bit more.   


Junmyeon’s smile is also what Kris fell for, and Kris could feel his heart skip a beat when Junmyeon laughed, leaning over the cart.   


“Please Junmyeon?” Kris asked, standing in the baked goods aisle in front of the cart.   


Kris held a box of cookies up for Junmyeon to see, and a child nearby eyed the box while holding tightly to into his mother’s hand.   


“We don’t need those.” Junmyeon told him. “Put them back.”   


“Please?” Kris asked again, trying to seem as cute as possible to lure Junmyeon into saying yes to the cookies.   


“No.”   


“If I ask in Chinese will that change your mind at all?”   


“Kris, you don’t need them. You literally bought chocolate cereal this morning.”   


“ _ Qîng _ ?” Kris whined.   


Junmyeon laughed. “No, Kris. We don’t need them.”   


Kris walked to the other side of the cart, standing by Junmyeon. He set the box of cookies into the cart, looking at Junmyeon as he did so. Junmyeon regarded him as a mother would her child when he misbehaved in public and she couldn’t snap his head off yet.   


“Please?” Kris whispered, smiling at him. “I’ll give you a kiss. And the first cookie.” He leaned over and pressed his lips to Junmyeon’s, who carefully kissed him back.   


Kris heard the mother across the aisle gasp, and both Kris and Junmyeon pulled away and watched as the mother shot them a look and cover her son’s eyes. The son, who was no older than seven, wailed, crying to his mother about why she had blindfolded him and why he couldn’t get cookies, too.   


Junmyeon looked away, and made to leave the aisle, but Kris stopped him. He glared at the woman the same way she had, and then grabbed both Junmyeon’s cheeks in his hands and kissed him again, deeper and more passionately than before.   


He felt Junmyeon flail for a moment under him, but soon submitted, resting one hand on the handle of the shopping cart and slung his other around Kris’ neck.   


When the two had pulled apart, Junmyeon’s arm still around Kris, they watched as the woman turned to her son, telling him off.   


“That sort of thing is immoral.” she told him. “I never want to see you like that, okay?” She then turned and regarded Kris and Junmyeon. “How could you live like that?” she remarked.   


Kris sighed and rolled his eyes as Junmyeon dropped his arm, averting his gaze from the woman. “I know, right?” Kris told her, shaking his head. “He won’t let me get the cookies I want. It is quite immoral if I do say so myself.”   


The woman opened her mouth to retort back again, but Junmyeon grabbed Kris’ sleeve and made down the aisle, grabbing another box of cookies and setting them in the cart as well.   


“You can have all the cookies you want.” Junmyeon muttered, flushing so deep he could blend in with the tomatoes.   


Kris grinned.   


Once they left the aisle, the two made straight for the register. “How could you do that?” Junmyeon asked as they stood in line, glaring up at him. Hurt and confusion flashed across his face.   


“Well I couldn’t just let her act like that.” Kris told him.   


Kris didn’t think it was possible to do things angrily. However, after all his twenty seven years, Kim Junmyeon proved him wrong. If there was a way to put groceries onto the conveyor angrily, Junmyeon had found a way to do it.   


“I don’t know how things work in China, Kris, but here, you can’t do that. You just can’t, okay?”   


“PDA isn’t illegal, Junmyeon.”   


“Yes, but homosexuality is.” Junmyeon stopped relaying the groceries onto the conveyor and looked up at Kris.   


“Like anyone really gives a damn about it anyways.” Kris remarked.   


“That’s not the point, Kris. It’s that you can’t do things like that.”   


“Like what? Kiss you? You kissed me back.”   


“Because like you, I couldn’t just let her act like that. But you could have gone around it differently.” Junmyeon turned to the cashier, paying.   


“Yet you put your arm around me-” Kris grabbed Junmyeon’s arm, making to put it around him, but Junmyeon turned and grabbed his wrist.   


“Touch me again and I’ll slap the freckles right off you.” he warned, and then released his wrist. He grabbed the bags of groceries and made off out of the store, Kris trailing behind.   


“You’re cute when you’re angry.”   


“I swear to God, Kris!”

  
  


~

  
  


**A/N**

Please note that homophobia and transphobia comes in many different shapes and forms. Not everyone has the courage to and/or cannot always stand against it when faced with it. But please remember that it does get better, you are not alone, and help is always available. Even if you yourself do not face homophobia, transphobia, and/or any other kind of discrimination, always stand up for those around you. You don’t know who you may have just saved and who’s day you may have made. Be mindful instead of ignorant. For those seeking help and support, please visit the links below;

 

**ILGAEurope** :  [ https://www.ilga-europe.org/mental-health/help ](https://www.ilga-europe.org/mental-health/help)

**KidsHelpPhone** :  [ https://kidshelpphone.ca/ ](https://kidshelpphone.ca/)

**YouthLine** :  [ http://www.youthline.ca/ ](http://www.youthline.ca/)

**DEQH** :  [ http://www.deqh.org/ ](http://www.deqh.org/)

**To Write Love On Her Arms** : <https://twloha.com/>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS;  
> Bīng bù yàn zhà (Chinese, all is fair in love and war; literally "weapon not detest cheat")  
> Qîng (Chinese, please)


	20. [LIAR] VII / Tuesday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Implied sexual references

_ -Day 7; Tuesday, June 6th, 2017- _

It was Tuesday.   


June 6th.   


Second day of summer vacation.   


Byun Baekhyun had done nothing in these two days. He had slept almost comatose-like for the first day, and then watched movies the second.    


All the while he stayed by his phone, never turning it off completely.    


He kept checking for messages, specifically from Park Chanyeol. He had received more from Kim Jongdae in the span of an hour than he had Park Chanyeol the entire two days.   


Baekhyun knew he shouldn’t have expected too much from Chanyeol.   


On Sunday, Chanyeol had told Baekhyun that he was going to be busy. His roommate’s family, Do Kyungsoo, had moved during the school year, and so now did Kyungsoo not only had to move the stuff he had brought to school with him, but stuff he had left behind and other things his family possessed. Chanyeol had offered to help Kyungsoo, and was driving to Goyang that day.    


Goyang wasn’t too far from Bucheon, where Baekhyun lived. It was perhaps 15 minutes at most, even with crossing the Han.   


Baekhyun knew he shouldn’t have expected too much from Chanyeol.   


Perhaps that’s why he was so surprised when at exactly 7:39am Chanyeol finally called him.   


Baekhyun was overjoyed that Chanyeol had phoned, but wasn’t quite as content that he was calling at almost eight in the morning. He knew Chanyeol didn’t sleep, but that didn’t mean he could wake Baek whenever he wanted.   


“Hello?” he queried groggily after fumbling around for his phone. He squinted at the bright light from his phone.   


“Baekkie?” Chanyeol said, way too cheerily for how early it was. “Baekkie!”   


“Yeolie, it’s like, midnight. What could you possibly want?”   


“Can you drive out here to Goyang tomorrow? Please?”   


“You had to phone me right this second to ask me that?”   


Chanyeol hummed a yes. “So can you?”   


“I guess? Why?”   


“Kyungsoo’s brother is at his own place and his parents are away on vacation.”   


“Yeol, babe, if you’re _ that _ horny, to can just come up here. We don’t have to put poor Kyungsoo through that. Or we could Skype or something.”   


“Baek, you’re the horny one here.” Chanyeol remarked, and Baekhyun could practically hear the eye roll. “I’m glad you’re that desperate for me, but that’s not exactly what I had in mind. Kyungsoo and I are going to have some people over. It’s not a party, exactly.”   


“Dinner!” Baekhyun offered.   


“No, more like a hang out.” Chanyeol grimaced.   


“Can I still sleepover?” Baekhyun asked. He knew Chanyeol couldn’t see him through the phone, but he pouted anyways, hoping he still got his message through.   


“Of course.” Chanyeol said softly, and Baekhyun smiled, laying back down onto the pillow, burying his face into it. “You can cuddle with me once the others fall asleep.” Baek’s smile dropped as he remembered their deal- to keep their relationship a secret.   


“Who’s all coming?”   


“You’re the first person I asked.” Baek liked this. He smiled smugly again, knowing that he was the first Chanyeol had called. Baek knew it was very important that he was the first he had called. It meant he was the first who had come to Chanyeol’s mind, as he should. “But I know Kyungsoo’s having Oh Sehun over before he leaves for Australia. And I think we’re just gonna have most of the same people we had at like, grad. Unless some people wanna bring someone.”   


“Does that mean Jongdae’s going to be there?” Baekhyun asked, half whining.    


It’s not that Baekhyun didn’t like Kim Jongdae. It’s just that he had whined for the past two days over Kim Minseok, and Baek didn’t know how much more he could take.    


“I guess. Why? Had enough of him?” he laughed.   


Baekhyun groaned. “Oh my gosh, if I have to hear one more thing about Kim fucking Minseok I’m going to kill him.”   


“I’ll help you.” Chanyeol said, still laughing. “You stab, I’ll dig.”   


“Do you think we can get Kyungsoo on board as an alibi?”   


“Actually, on second thought, if I feed him enough and give him enough space, he’ll do it for us. Maybe for free.”   


Baekhyun laughed. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then. I hope you have an extra shirt, I feel like I’m going to forget clothes to sleep in.”   


“I might have an extra shirt or two on me.”   


“And I might get lonely driving back the next day.”   


“We’ll see, Baek.” Chanyeol said, laughing. “I have to go now, okay? I’ll call or text you later.”   


“You better. You can’t see it right now, but I’m sticking my tongue out at you.”   


“Goodbye, Baek.”   


“Bye, Chan. Eat lots!”   


“I will.”    


And then Chanyeol hung up.  
  
But Chanyeol had called, and that’s what mattered to Baekhyun.  


He put his phone back and then pulled the covers back over him.   
  
He went back to sleep until almost noon. 


	21. [THE LONG GAME] VII / Pleasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; sexual references

_ -Day 5; Sunday, June 4th, 2017- _

The day after Kim Jongdae ate pizza and watched movies with Byun Baekhyun, he got up early to finish moving the last of his stuff out of his dorm and into the back of Kim Minseok’s car.   


He leaned against the car, on his phone, scrolling through a folder of cute cat photos Huang Zitao had sent him, when Baekhyun came over to him, Park Chanyeol in stride.   


“Dae!” Baek whined, outstretching his arms and clenching and unclenching his fists in a way that meant for Dae to come near.   


He did so, pocketing his phone and wrapping his arms around him.   


Baekhyun squeezed him, yelling and shaking him as he did so.   


Chanyeol laughed, and then ripped Baek off of Jongdae. “Don’t kill him.”    


“Maybe that’s the point.” Baekhyun shot Chanyeol a glare, and both he and Jongdae laughed.   


“You’re a little late, Death.” Jongdae said. “I was expecting you here before exams.”   


“Finally.” Chanyeol commented, opening his arms and tilting his head back.   


“Oh my gosh, you guys are depressing.” Baekhyun remarked.   


“You’re the one who said you were going to kill me!” Jongdae exclaimed.   


“That’s besides the point.” Baekhyun pointed out, rolling his eyes. “I came to say goodbye. Although there’s not much use; I’ll probably text you once I get home saying I’ve accidentally brought something of yours home with me.”   


“ _ Accidentally _ . Sure.” Dae teased, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Like you ‘accidentally’ used all my soap?”   


“Hey! It smelled nice! And my skin feels super soft. Feel!” Baekhyun cried, and then grabbed both Chanyeol and Jongdae’s hands and held them to the sides of his face. “It’s soft. Like a baby’s bum.”   


“How do you know what a baby’s bum feels like?” Chanyeol asked.   


“That should be how  _ my _ skin feels.” Jongdae grumbled.   


“Why are your hands on Baekhyun’s face?” Kim Minseok asked, coming out to the car and the three of them. His car keys were in his hands, and they klinked against one another.    


“He used all my soap, Min.” Jongdae said.   


“My skin is soft. Feel.” Baekhyun chimed in.   


“I’m okay, but thanks.” Minseok rejected, holding up a hand. “Dae, ready to go?”   


“Yeah, Min. One sec.” he nodded. He turned to Baekhyun, quickly hugging him again.    


“Get that dick for me.” Baekhyun whispered, and Jongdae scoffed, pushing him away.    


“No. No! Stop!” he cried, laughing. He threw his hands over his head, as if to block Baekhyun out.   


Baekhyun winked, and then waved Jongdae off. “Bye bye, DaeDae!”   


“Stop!” Dae whined, climbing into Minseok’s car. “I’ll see you later, Baek! Bye Chanyeol!”   


They finished their (prolonged) farewells, and Minseok and Jongdae eventually drove away, even with Baekhyun yelling at Jongdae to get more soap and a tired Chanyeol pulling his over-excited boyfriend away (albeit, Jongdae still didn’t know of the two’s relationship).    


“Sometimes I forget just how close you and Baekhyun are.” Minseok mused as they pulled off of campus.    


Jongdae shrugged. “I’ve roomed with him since first year, Min. You get close to a guy once you’ve lived with him that long. And seen him completely naked. And showered with him.”   


“You’ve showered with Baekhyun?” Minseok asked, taken aback.   


“Min! He needed someone to wash his back!”   


“Dae, that’s gay.” Minseok remarked, rolling down his window.   


“No it’s not, Min. I said ‘no homo’ before I got in.”   


“That still makes it gay. Baekhyun is gay- that makes it even more gay.”   


“No _ shit _ , Sherlock. I didn’t get that  _ at all _ when he hung rainbow streamers from the ceiling and had a ‘coming out’ party in our first year. Min, he had all these gays over, I felt a little out of place as the only hetero there.”    


“But you’re bi, Dae.”   


“Not at the time, Min.”   


“You’ve always been bi, you just didn’t accept it until now.”   


“Min, put the radio on.” Jongdae grumbled, and Minseok laughed.   


“Oh, hell no! You’re not getting out of this!”   


“Min!” Jongdae whined.    


“Fine. You’re lucky you at least have friends who came to see you off.” Minseok said, allowing a subject change.    


“What do you mean, Min? Baekhyun and Chanyeol are your friends, too.”   


“Yeah, but they came to see  _ you _ off. They said goodbye to  _ you _ . I’m not even sure if I’ll ever see these people again.” Minseok propped his elbow on his window, using one hand to turn the wheel around a corner.   


Minseok was lying. Sort of. He had had a quick goodbye with Zhang Yixing and Xi Luhan, but other than that hadn’t spoken to anyone.   


“So? You still got me, Min.” He elbowed him in the side, and then leaned on his shoulder, smiling up at him.   


“Yeah, but you’re a little shit.” Minseok spat, shoving Jongdae off of him, who laughed.   


“I’m gonna put the radio on now, Min.” he intoned, reaching forward and playing with the channels. “I’m trying to find a good song.”   


“You’re not gonna like any of these.” Minseok said, knowing how picky Jongdae was. “Just plug your phone in.”   


Jongdae did so, and then played with the volume as he put a song on. “I’m gonna test you, Min. What language is this?”   


“English.” he said, cocking an eyebrow.   


“What about this one, Min?” Jongdae changed the song.   


“French.”   


“What’s she saying, Min?”   


“ _ ‘Friend at night, nothing more.’ _ ”   


“Snazzy.”   


“Snazzy?” Minseok asked, confused. “What the fuck does that mean?”   


“You know, Min.” Jongdae looked up from his phone and over at Minseok. “Like, jazzy. But snazzy.”   


Minseok scoffed and shook his head at Jongdae. “I’ll never understand you, Dae.”   


Jongdae leaned over onto Minseok’s shoulder. “I’m sleepy. I’m gonna take a nap, Min.”   


“Let me pick the music then.”   


Closing his eyes, Jongdae handed his phone over to Minseok. He took it and heard him drop it into the cup holder.   


A few moments later, before he drifted off, he heard the window roll up, and Minseok’s shoulder shifted, jostling Jongdae around. Dae felt a warmth wrap around his waist, Minseok’s hand resting on his thigh.   
  
~•~   
  


When Kim Jongdae woke up, he found himself cuddled up on Kim Minseok’s sofa. He had his favourite green blanket wrapped tightly around him, and Minseok’s Mickey Mouse pillow shoved under his head.   


Minseok’s pillows always smelled of drool, and he remembered when Yixing first complained about it because he couldn’t steal his pillow because of the stench.   


Jongdae, however, didn’t mind the smell, and had practically grown accustomed to it. He had used Minseok’s pillows so many times over the years it didn’t even bother him anymore.   


Yixing called him crazy and said he was doing deals with the devil.   


Jongdae sat up, the blanket still wrapped around his shoulders. He rubbed his eyes, pressing the palm of his hands into his face.   


He was in Minseok’s home, a small, one floor bungalow. It was almost a stand-alone apartment of sorts.   


Minseok had bought it practically the day after he turned eighteen, moving out almost immediately.   


Minseok’s father had left him, his mother, and brother at a young age. Minseok’s mother worked many jobs and was rarely home. When she was, Minseok’s older brother spent the majority of the time cleaning up after her messes and doting on Minseok, trying to keep him away from their mother’s problems.    


We had to hand it to him, Minseok’s brother did a good job, despite being young. It wasn’t until Minseok himself was nearing high school did he understand what his mother was doing and why she was doing those things.    


It wasn’t until Minseok was in high school that he understood that his brother had done more for him and the family than both their parents combined.    


However, Minseok hadn’t properly seen his brother in years. Jongdae didn’t know the exact reason why, but he knew Minseok now held a grudge against him.    


Jongdae looked around the small house, which had accumulated a collection of both Jongdae and Minseok’s things.    


Minseok’s place was like a second home to Jongdae, and Jongdae’s (who still lived at home) was home to Minseok.   


“Min?” Jongdae called out, pushing himself off of the sofa. He glanced at the time on the stove. It wasn’t quite dinner yet, but after lunch.   


Jongdae shuffled down the hall, peering into the washroom and bedrooms.   


He came back into the living room, which connected to the kitchen, and heard the porch screen door slam shut.    


Dae followed the sound, and as he peeked through the screen, he saw Minseok on the porch, sitting on the arm of one of the porch chairs they had picked out together, on the phone. His back was turned to Jongdae.   


Jongdae situated the blanket around him, throwing it over his head like a hood.    


He rooted through Minseok’s kitchen, and by the time Minseok came back in from the porch, Jongdae was sitting on the counter squeezing the last of the juice out of a juice box, the crumbs of crackers brushed off onto the floor.   


“Good morning, sleepy head.” Minseok said sarcastically, leaning over to Jongdae and kissing his cheek. Dae smiled shyly and tried his best to avoid turning a shade of red. “How long have you been up for?”   


“Not long, Min.” Jongdae made slurping noises with the juice box. “Min, why were you on the phone?”   


“Remember that translation company I applied for?” Minseok asked, swiping the juice box out of Jongdae’s hands.   


“Min!” he whined, outstretching his hands for the juice box back, but not bothering to jump off the counter. “But yeah, I do. What about it, Min?”   


“I got accepted.” he commented nonchalantly as he trashed the juice box.   


Jongdae let out a loud yell of triumph as he jumped off the counter to show his excitement for Minseok. “Minseokiki has a job now! He can buy me a car!”   


Minseok laughed, leaning against the counter. “I’m not buying you a car. You don’t even have your license, anyways.”   


“I do, Min.” Jongdae stuck his tongue out. “I just have it suspended. But that’s Baekhyun’s fault!”   


“No it’s not!” Minseok yelled, laughing. “I was there! I watched you say ‘I’m so fucking hammered.’ And then you ran into the car ahead of us.”   


“Because Baekkie tickled me, Min! You know I’m ticklish.”   


“We should’ve just called a cab or something.”   


“Baekhyun didn’t want to leave the car there, Min.”   


“And that was worse than crashing it into someone?”   


Jongdae glared at Minseok. “Shut up, Min.”   
  
~•~   
  


Later that night, Kim Minseok and Kim Jongdae found themselves seated on Minseok’s sofa.  
  
Jongdae was cuddled up against Minseok, half asleep on his chest. Crumbs from a sleeve of crackers he had eaten still dotted Minseok’s chest. One of Minseok’s arms was wrapped around Jongdae’s middle, the other reaching for the coffee table and his glass of what Jongdae didn’t know what of, but judging by the smell, was probably alcohol.   


They had begun the night by watching  _ Friends _ reruns (subtitles for Jongdae, of course), but then eventually started shifting through different movies before settling on a French one Minseok had picked. Despite there being subtitles, Jongdae tried his best to follow along, but found much more interest in playing with the loose thread at the end of Minseok’s sleeve and his hand, threading his fingers through his and drawing circles and other things on his palm and the back of his hand.   


“What are you doing?” Minseok asked about twenty minutes into the movie. “Do you not like the movie?”   


Jongdae shook his head. “No, I do, Min.”   


“Then what’s it about?”   


“See that girl there, Min?” Dae asked, pointing to one of the characters on screen. “She likes the other girl.”   


“You just know that because I told you before we started the movie.”   


“Did not, Min.” Jongdae protested, burying his face into Minseok’s chest, hiding from him.   


“Hey.” Minseok nudged Jongdae’s head with his chin. Jongdae looked up, and Minseok swooped in, locking his lips with his.    


Even though Jongdae had known Minseok forever, and had kissed him a handful of times now, the sensation still sent a feeling of excitement and numbness through him.   


It wasn’t just Minseok Jongdae has been with- he’s been with his fair share of girls, too. But none of them had made him feel like this, so... _ in love _ . That was the only way he could describe it. Minseok probably had a word for it.   


The two laid there on the couch, Jongdae’s lips brushing Minseok’s, which were soft, but not quite chapped.    


Minseok moved his arm which was around Jongdae’s waist, so he laid atop Min. Jongdae stuck one arm out by Minseok’s head to support himself. His other arm was wrapped under Minseok’s arm and his shoulder blade.   


Both of Minseok’s arms were wrapped around Jongdae’s waist, and one travelled up his back to push him down closer.   


Jongdae pressed himself against Minseok more, and sunk down even further when Minseok nipped his bottom lip.    


“Min!” Jongdae whined, giggling a little. “Don’t do that.”   


“You’re cute, I can’t help it.” Minseok said softly, smiling. He kissed Jongdae again, placing his hand on the back of his neck and nipping his lip again.    


This time, instead of releasing Minseok’s lips, Jongdae nipped back, and Minseok grunted, moving his hips and thus moving both of them further onto the sofa.    


The two went from slow, little kisses, to longer, rougher kisses, and Jongdae couldn’t remember nor tell who had slipped his tongue into the other’s mouth first, or who started fiddling with the other’s clothing first.    


Minseok had pushed himself further up so he sat up slightly, and Jongdae wrapped his arms around his neck, almost having the other boy straddled.    


They had both discarded their shirts and Minseok was busy sliding off Dae’s boxers when from the coffee table, Minseok’s phone rang.   


Both almost immediately ripped apart, both glaring at each other as if Minseok was unsure whether to get it or not and Jongdae was issuing a warning.   


“It’s Chanyeol.” Minseok whispered, glancing at his vibrating phone from the corner of his eye.   


“Well?” Jongdae sighed, moving to slide off of Minseok. “You can get it now.”    


Minseok tightened his grip on Jongdae’s waist, prohibiting him from moving away. “I’m not done with you yet.” Minseok whispered huskily in Jongdae’s ear, and then sloppily placed a hickey on Dae’s neck.    


He reached over and picked up his phone with one hand, allowing his other hand to travel down Jongdae, making him gasp and then bite his lip to refrain from being too loud.    


Minseok mostly listened to whatever Chanyeol was saying on the other end of the line, but still kept his hand moving, which caused Jongdae to hold his hand up to his mouth, trying to muffle any sound that slipped out. He pressed himself against Minseok, nuzzling himself into the crook of his neck.   


“I’ll ask.” Min said, and then took his phone away from his ear, pressing it to his chest. “Dae?”   


“Mhm?” Jongdae choked out, his breath laboured.   


“Chanyeol wants to know if we could drive out to Goyang sometime this week for a hangout. He says he doesn’t know exactly when or who would all be there- Do Kyungsoo wants to make sure a few people are actually interested beforehand.” he talked casually, as if he had just walked into a room Jongdae was sitting in instead of sending him to near ecstasy.    


“S-sure.” Jongdae stammered, still out of breath. “You’ll have to drive, though.”   


Minseok turned back to the phone, still not stopping with Jongdae, who leaned heavier against Minseok. “He says we can.” Minseok related, and then hung up the phone and tossed it aside. “Now, where was I?” Minseok asked, turning back to Jongdae.  
  
“Minseok.” Jongdae moaned, and Minseok stopped moving, which caused Jongdae to moan into Minseok’s collar bone again.   


Minseok placed his hand on Jongdae’s waist, pressing his lips to Dae’s jawline. “I love it when you’re like this.” he said coarsely into his ear, and Jongdae let out another a moan. “I love it when you beg for it. For me.”   


“Minseok, please.” Jongdae moaned, allowing Minseok to push him down onto the sofa.    


“You’re like putty in my hands.” Minseok smirked, and continued on, sending a wave of pleasure over Jongdae all over again.


	22. [PURPLE] VII / Raspberry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; sexual references

_ WARNINGS: Strong language; sexual references _

_ -Day 6; Monday, June 5th, 2017- _

The same night Kim Junmyeon and Kris Wu went grocery shopping, Junmyeon sat at the kitchen table, filling out resumes. One could assume he was an office worker with the amount of paperwork he had.    


It was the evening, and the two hadn’t had dinner yet, but Junmyeon had a bowl of raspberries beside him anyways. He kept wiping his hands on his thigh to avoid getting raspberry juice on his papers.   


Junmyeon thought he finally had some peace and quiet, time to himself, when Kris walked out from the bedrooms, staring down at a pad of paper which was folded open. He twirled the end of a pen in his mouth. “Junmyeon?” he asked aloud, taking a seat at the table across for Junmyeon. He set the pad of paper and his own pen down.   


“Yes, Kris?” Junmyeon sighed, peering up at Kris over his glasses.   


“I need a verb.” he said, still chewing on the end of the pen.   


“Uh, writing. May I ask why?”    


Kris nodded, scribbling on the paper and then reaching for a raspberry. “I found a  _ MadLibs  _ thing. Wanna hear?” he asked, eagerly.   


“No.” Junmyeon said, returning to leafing through his papers, licking his finger in between to turn the pages easier. “I’m busy right now.”    


Kris took a raspberry and dropped it in his mouth, and then grabbed one of Junmyeon’s papers. “What are you doing?” He held it up to his face, looking it over.    


“Kris!” Junmyeon exclaimed, dropping his pen and standing up, grabbing the paper back from him. Unsurprisingly, there were Kris-sized raspberry stains on the paper. “I can’t get another one of these, and these are important.” he sighed, dropping the paper back down.    


“What is it?” Kris reiterated, reaching for the paper again, but Junmyeon grabbed it before him and slid it away.   
  


“Paperwork, Kris.” he said, exasperated. “Sorry I don’t have an endless supply of money and actually need a job.”    


Kris regarded the stacks of papers Junmyeon had- one for which he assumed were finished papers and ones that were still yet to be completed. He had another smaller, thinner pile off to the side. “I don’t think losing one is going to do you harm, Junmyeon.” Kris pointed out, reaching out to the bowl again, but Junmyeon grabbed that, too, and pulled it away from him again.   


“Still, Kris. You can’t just do whatever you want. We literally just went over this.”   


Kris stuck out his tongue. “Boo, you whore.”    


Junmyeon rolled his eyes, which Kris noticed. What Kris didn’t notice was how Junmyeon had tensed up at being called a whore. “Is there anything else I can do for you? Or can I go back to what I was doing?”   


“I’m hungry.” Kris pouted. “What are we doing for dinner?”   


“There’s a Thai takeout menu on the counter near my phone.” Junmyeon picked up his pen and reaching for a new form.    


“I don’t want Thai. We just had that.” Kris complained. “And speaking of phones, Chanyeol called. He wants to know if we want to come out to Goyang tomorrow.”   


“Sure.” Junmyeon said, not looking up from his papers. “What for?”   


Kris shrugged. “Like, a dinner-hang out thing, I guess.”   


“Cool.” Junmyeon paused. “What’s one of my skills?”   


“Being cute?”    


“Ew, no.” Junmyeon grimaced. “I can’t put that.”   


“Making me-”   


Junmyeon stood up abruptly, pushing his chair out and moving away. “I don’t want to hear the rest of that!” he cried, throwing his hands over his head and covering his ears.   


Kris leaned over onto the table, laughing. “You don’t even know what I was going to say!”   


Junmyeon wheeled around, pointing a  finger at him. “I do! I do, and I don’t want to hear anymore!”   


Kris laughed again, standing up and going over to Junmyeon. He wrapped his arms around his waist from behind, burying his face into the crook of Junmyeon’s neck. “Oh, Kim Junmyeon. You have such a dirty mind.”   


“Kris.” Junmyeon said, and made as if to push him away, but still melted into him nonetheless.    


“I was going to say ‘making me happy’.” He kissed the other boy’s neck, and then moved and kissed his cheek. He could feel Junmyeon’s cheeks getting warm as he moved to face Kris, and Junmyeon wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed his lips.   


Kris moved one arm further up Myeon’s back to better support him, keeping his other around his waist.   


Kris took a step forward, causing Myeon to take one back, and then Junmyeon had taken one arm off from around Kris’ neck and reached out for the table behind him. With this he leaned softly against it, and brought his hand back up to rest on Kris’ chest.    


Kris leaned heavily into him, tightening his grip on him around his waist and back.    


At first they kissed lightly, but now they kissed with more intensity, and they both clung to each other as if their lives depended on it. They kept tugging on each other, trying to bring the other boy closer to him.   


Kris leaned forward more, but there was nowhere else for Junmyeon to go. He leaned down, onto the table, and Kris slipped his thumb down the waistband of Junmyeon’s pants.   


Junmyeon ripped away from Kris, both his hands on his chest now. He held him at a distance, still close, but enough that he could observe all of Kris easily. “No.” he breathed, and Kris was unsure if Junmyeon’s expression read confusion or disgust.   


Kris looked over Junmyeon’s shoulders at the stacks of paper he had about the table. “Is it the papers?” he asked, turning his gaze back to Junmyeon. “Because I can move them- I can do that cool thing they do in the movies and stuff where they sweep everything off of the table at once-”   


“No, it’s not-”   


“Or I can move them neatly?”   


Junmyeon pushed at Kris, and he stood up off of Junmyeon. “Kris, no, it’s not the table.” Kris opened his mouth to retort back, make a comment about how it’d probably be better in the bedroom anyways, but Junmyeon continued before Kris even had the chance to speak. “And it’s not you, either. It’s this! I don’t want it! I don’t want that!” he stammered out, and gestured aggressively to Kris’ nether regions. He moved about as he spoke, flustered, but stopped when he had finished.   


“Wow, okay. I’m offended.” Kris said, half-jokingly.   


“No, no.” Junmyeon vacillated, beginning to wave around again. “I mean, I do want that-“ he gestured at Kris again, and Kris gave him a confused look. “I mean I don’t want to do  _ that _ .”   


“Words, Junmyeon. Words.” Kris moved towards him and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him back into his chest. “This isn’t the fifth grade- you can say whatever the fuck you want.”   


“Sex.” Junmyeon blurted out, as if unfamiliar and unsure of the word. “I don’t want to have sex.”   


“And that’s fine!” Kris laughed. “I’m not going to force you into anything you don’t want.” He planted a kiss on his forehead.   


“And I’m not a whore.” he said stubbornly, looking up at him.    


Kris shot him a look. “What?”   


“You called me a whore.” He told him, taking on a softer tone. “I’m not a whore.”   


“Oh.” Kris laughed again. “Myeon, I didn’t mean that. It was a  _ Mean Girls _ reference.”    


“ _ Mean Girls _ ?” Now it was Junmyeon’s turn to look confused.    


“Yeah, _ Mean Girls _ . You know, like, the movie?” Junmyeon shook his head, frowning. Kris scoffed, releasing Junmyeon from his grip. “You’re a lost cause. I give up.” He turned and made to make his way to the bedroom, but Junmyeon grabbed his wrist, holding him back.   


“No, Krissy, wait!” he pleaded, and Kris turned back around. “We’ll order takeout and you can show it to me.”   


“Not Thai, though.”   


“There’s a Chinese place-”   


“Nah, I wanna take you out to actually eat at a Chinese place first. Preferably in China. Why don’t we just like, get a pizza or something?”   


“Okay, but-”   


“Sh.” Kris sibilated, placing a finger on Junmyeon’s lips. “You sit. I’ll boot up the movie and order. Don’t worry, I won’t put pineapple on it, I’m not a monster.”   


“Did you know that pineapple pizza was invented by a chef in Ontario-”   


“Shut your mouth before I change my mind.” Kris said, and Junmyeon laughed. “I’m serious!” he cried. “I’ll give you just straight up pineapple for dinner!”    


Kris made for the phone while Junmyeon seated himself on the sofa, wrapping himself up in blankets. “Oh, also, tell Chanyeol that we’ll come for me, okay?” Kris tossed over his shoulder.   


Junmyeon reached for his own phone, but quickly found out that that one was actually Kris’- his was still on the counter, charging.    


“Kris.” Junmyeon called, standing on his knees and peering over the back of the couch. “This one’s yours.” he held it out to him.   


Kris held out the palm of his hand, shaking his head. “Use it. I’ll just use yours. It’s unlocked. And I already have my fingerprint in yours.”   


“When did you put your finger in my phone?” Junmyeon asked. “When did you even get my pass-”   


“Magic.” Kris said, fluttering his hand and turned away down the hall to phone.


	23. [LIAR] VIII / Goyang, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; vehicular collisions

_ -Day 8; Wednesday, June 7th, 2017- _

“This is all they had.” Do Kyungsoo said, laying a bag of chips down on the table in front of Park Chanyeol, who was emptying a bag of (probably stale) pretzels into a bowl.   


“Are you sure?” Chanyeol asked, looking over at the bag. It was a reasonably sized bag, but not large enough for a moderate amount of people.    


Kyungsoo nodded. “I searched the entire store. That was the last bag they had.” That was a lie. Kyungsoo didn’t even go to the store like Chanyeol had told him to. He had walked down to the convenience store instead, finding the cheapest bag of chips he could find. He didn’t understand why he had to spend his money on something he wasn’t going to eat, but rather have to clean up later.   


“That’s strange.” Chanyeol said, wrinkling his brow. “You would think they would have had more, considering it’s only like, Wednesday.” Kyungsoo shrugged. “I’ll text someone and see if they can grab some on the way up.”

  


**chanyeol_pcy** : one of you pick up chips plz?? help a desperate hoe out thx

**not jongdae** : why don’t you just do it?? that’s your job?? as host??

**chanyeol_pcy** : I told Kyungsoo to And he says there isn’t anymore at the store

**oohsehunnie** : wtf it’s like Wednesday

**chanyeol_pcy** : ?? ikr ??

**luluhanxi7** : dw dw tao And ii gotcha

**chanyeol_pcy** : thank, Kyungsoo will pay you back

**kyungsoo93** : who said that

**chanyeol_pcy** : me

**kyungsoo93** : fuck you

  


“I’m not paying!” Kyungsoo yelled, looking up from his own phone.   


“But I’m broke!” Chanyeol exclaimed.   


“I am too! Law school isn’t cheap!”   


“Neither is...whatever I took this year!”   


“Business, Chanyeol. You took business.” Kyungsoo told him. “And fine- I’ll pay half, you pay half.”   


“Deal.”    


Kyungsoo dug out his wallet and laid a few bills on the table, and then walked away.   


It wasn’t that Kyungsoo didn’t want people over (he was looking forward to hearing another voice that wasn’t Park Chanyeol’s), it was just that Kyungsoo didn’t know any of them. He was familiar with Kris Wu- the two had some overlapping classes. He also knew of Oh Sehun and Huang Zitao as they were all in the same year, but he didn’t know know anyone.   


Truth be told, he felt a little awkward about it already, but knew that Chanyeol would probably embarrass himself somehow and make things easier on his part.   


“I’m going to check to see if Baekhyun is here!” Chanyeol called out, and then bounded out the front door. He knew Byun Baekhyun was driving himself up, and last time Chanyeol had seen Baekhyun drive himself somewhere, he had accidentally locked himself in the car, and Chanyeol had to unlock it for him (he was too panicked to figure out how to unlock it from the inside, as it wasn’t his car).   


Chanyeol and Kyungsoo weren’t expecting people until later, but Chanyeol had told Baekhyun a little earlier so he could have more time with him.    


Chanyeol and Baekhyun still weren’t publicly out about their relationship, and weren’t too keen on making it known anytime soon. They had both grown to like the idea of keeping it a secret- it made quick, stolen kisses more special, and anytime Chanyeol had more time alone with him, when he could properly hold him and kiss him rougher and touch him wherever and however he wanted, Chanyeol felt fluttery and weak, as if he had just laid eyes upon Byun Baekhyun for the first time all over again.   


But to Chanyeol’s dismay, when he stepped outside, the driveway was empty except for the familiar vehicles of his and Kyungsoo’s.   


Chanyeol was confused. He had told Baekhyun he could come earlier than the others, and was expecting him around that time.    


Although Baekhyun often got distracted or diddy-daddled, he was never late, especially without warning.    


Baekhyun was also always true to his word, and had promised to tell Chanyeol when he left and when he close to arriving (albeit, he was not to text and drive).   


Chanyeol had heard nothing from Baekhyun.   


Still standing outside, Chanyeol called Baekhyun, and began to pace around the open-ended driveway.   


Baekhyun didn’t pick up.   


Chanyeol called again, listening intently to the rings, as if he could hear Baekhyun through them.   


Baekhyun still didn’t pick up.    


This was also very unlike Baekhyun- he always picked up when Chanyeol called, and if he didn’t, told him why he couldn’t pick up right now, or at least picked up on the second call.   


Chanyeol called again and again, pacing around the driveway and sitting on the front steps, dialling and re-dialling Baekhyun’s number.   


It was beginning to worry Chanyeol.   
  


 

_ /Baekhyun/ _

Byun Baekhyun was running out the front door, one of his shoes untied and only one arm through his sweater.   


“Where are you going?” Byun Woohyun, Baekhyun’s younger brother of eleven years, asked as he stood at the door.   


“I’m going up to Goyang today.” Baekhyun said. “I told you this.”   


He had indeed told him this, over dinner last night with his family, but Baekhyun wasn’t surprised that Woohyun hadn’t listened.   


“You said you would take me to Seoul today.” Woohyun pouted.    


_ Shit _ . Baekhyun  _ had _ promised to take him up, as he was going to a concert in the evening with some friends. Seoul was out of the way of Goyang, and Baekhyun knew he was going to be late if he made this trip. He sighed. “Okay, okay. I’ll take you there, but I can’t drive you back. I’ll give you money for a cab or a bus or something.”   


“You know Mom doesn’t like it when I take a cab.” Woohyun said stubbornly. He did not like the idea of his brother backing out of what he had promised.   


“Take the bus. Or don’t tell her.” Baekhyun said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.   


Woohyun groaned. “Okay, fine. I’m not paying you back, though.”   


“That’s cool. Now get in the car.” he gestured to the car with his head, and slipped into the driver’s side as he slipped his other arm through his sweater. “Just let me text Chanyeol quick.” he continued as Woohyun sat in the passenger's side beside him, digging out his phone, but Woohyun reached over and grabbed it out of his hands instead.    


“No!” he cried, and pointed out the windshield. “Drive! It’s time to go, I might be late!”   


Now it was Baekhyun’s turn to groan. “ _ You _ might be late! I’m  _ already _ going to be late because of you!” Baekhyun put the car into motion anyways. “If you won’t let me text, at least do it for me.”   


“Can’t.” Woohyun protested. “Broken wrist.” he held up his left arm, which was indeed casted and had names scribbled all over it in an amass of colours. He had broken it playing road hockey last month.   


“You’re right handed.” Baekhyun argued. “At least call him then- just go into my contacts.” Baekhyun was now driving along a municipal road, trying to find the exit onto the highway to Seoul.     


“Why do you want to call this guy so bad? Who is it?” Woohyun asked. “I can’t get into your phone.”   


Baekhyun pulled onto the highway, and increased his speed. He was going faster than he should have, quite a few kilometres over the speed limit. “I’ll unlock it for you.” he said, holding his hand out for his phone, and Woohyun pressed it into his hand.   


Still keeping his speed, Baekhyun looked away to unlock his phone, and dial Chanyeol.   


He wasn’t even done with his password when Woohyun slapped him, and his phone went tumbling out of his hands. “Baekhyun!” he yelled, coarse and fearful, as if he had just stared Death in the eye.   


Baekhyun snapped his head up to look out the window, and a car before them had swerved into their lane ahead of the Byun brothers.   


Baekhyun slammed on the brakes and spun the wheel, trying his best to avoid collision. However, he was going too fast, and he hadn’t even registered the impact of them crashing through before they tailed off, spinning and sending both cars into the ditch.   


Baekhyun didn’t black out. He registered it all, as best as he could, and as much as his frantic, panicked mind could handle.    


He hit the wheel and dashboard hard, and he could hear the thump of his brother doing so as well.   


Baekhyun sat there, breathing heavily, his one hand having the wheel in a death grip. He tried to regain any air that had been knocked out of him.   


“Woohyun?” he squeaked out, not looking over to him.    


His brother didn’t reply.   


Baekhyun looked over, and grabbed Woohyun by the shoulders and shook him violently. When he saw the blood running down Woohyun’s face, his eyes closed, creepily serene and peaceful.   


“Woohyun!” Baekhyun yelled, crawling over the gear and closer to him. “Woohyun!” he yelled again, still shaking him.   


Baekhyun himself shook as well, terrified at what he had done to his brother. Terrified at why his brother wasn’t responding.   


Baekhyun yelled out his name again, his throat tightening and a lump welling in his throat and his nose stinging and his eyes watering and wetting his cheeks.    


Then Woohyun’s car door opened, and a woman appeared, and more faces, and they said things Baekhyun couldn’t understand- they all mumbled and murmured their words, but their pitch was loud and clear as if they were yelling.   


Why were they yelling? They didn’t know Woohyun’s name. Baekhyun didn’t know these people.   


They picked Woohyun up out of the car, and Baekhyun crawled out after him, reaching for his little brother.   


“What are you doing?” he demanded, glaring at a man near him as he guided him out of the car. “What are you doing with my brother? Where are you taking him?”   


The man said something in reply, and although it was clear, Baekhyun couldn’t understand what he had said- the phonetics and the way the words strung together and the accent were strange and unfamiliar to Baekhyun.   


More people came, talking to Baekhyun and the man as they stood on the side of the highway, in the ditch. These words Baekhyun knew were familiar, he understood what they were, but didn’t register a word they said. He didn’t register what they were saying, what the woman who had a hand on his shoulder was saying, what someone else was asking him.   


This is where Baekhyun’s body caught up with his mind, and his mind caught up with the events.   


Although he had registered the entirety of it, he didn’t understand it, and there’s a grave difference between registering something and understanding it.   


He felt short of breath, his chest constricted and he felt trapped as the world pushed in around him.   


“My brother.” he told them. “My brother.” he repeated again, this time in English. “My brother!” he yelled out again.   


The people turned and talked, conversing, and ran off to where they had taken Woohyun.   


Baekhyun heard sirens, and turned to see smoke curling out of one of the cars- was it his? Or the one he had hit?- and emergency response vehicles parked near them.   


People around him were frantic, yelling and barking at one another. They ran about, in and out of vehicles as they peeled away and more pulled up.   


Baekhyun’s breath became shorter, finding more and more difficulty to pull oxygen into his lungs.   


He didn’t know why he did what he did next.   


He turned on his heel and ran.   


Along the highway, on either side, ran ditches. And along the sides of the ditches were trees, a vast forest, full of green from the current summer.   


This forest is what Baekhyun ran into, and as he let his feet carry him, branches flew back and scratched his already bloodied face. He stumbled over stones and dragged his feet through dirt and mud, but never allowed himself to fall over, catching himself before he did so.   


He didn’t know why he ran.   


Perhaps it was to get away from the scene that was laid out before him, the overwhelmingness of it all. Perhaps it was to get away with the consequences of what happened next, or perhaps to get away from facing his brother.   


Perhaps it was just to get away, not having it wanting to deal with it all.   


What he did know is that running away had somehow freed him- he no longer felt trapped, constricted, and although laboured from running, breath came easier to him. His throat no longer felt like closing up on him, and his cheeks were sticky and salty instead of soaked.   


Baekhyun lost track of time, lost track of where he was and how far he had gone.   


He walked a little further, noticing that the trees began to thin out. He ventured in that direction, and when he broke through, he was met with the outskirts of a town, a gas station and coffee shop on the other side of the practically deserted road.   


He crossed, carefully looking both ways before darting across.   


He slipped into the gas station, a bell ringing as he opened the door.   


There were shelves in the store, lining the walls and were set up in the middle, as well. The shelves were decked out with candies and other snack bags, and a slushie machine was tacked to the wall.   


“Can I help you?” the man at the counter asked as he stepped in, and then gasped when Baekhyun turned to him. “Sir?” he asked again. “Can I call someone for you? Help clean you up? Take you somewhere?” Baekhyun didn’t reply, just looked at him quizzically. “You’re bleeding.” he pointed out.   


Gingerly, Baekhyun touched the pads of his fingers to his forehead, and he drew away blood when he glanced at them, some of it dry and old, some of it wet and new.   


“Can I get you something?” The man asked again, cautiously stepping out from behind the counter. “I’m Koki.”    


Baekhyun nodded. “Can I use a phone?”   


“Sure, sure.” the man who introduced himself as Koki said. “Can I call them for you?”   


“I want a cab.” Baekhyun said.   


“Where to?”   


“Goyang.”   


“Can I get you anything else? Something to stop the bleeding?”   


Baekhyun shook his head. “I’m fine.”   


“Okay.” Koki said, and stepped out into the back to call for a cab.   


Baekhyun stood alone in the gas station, and then wandered around the aisles, looking at the different snacks.   


“Are you hungry?” Koki asked, stepping back into the store.   


Baekhyun picked up a bag of chips he knew were Chanyeol’s favourite and brought them up to the counter, and then felt around for his wallet, checking his pockets. “I lost my wallet.” he said plainly.    


Koki shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, man. I’ve got this, and your cab.”   


“Are you sure?” Baekhyun questioned.   


The man nodded. “It’s not much, I swear. Can you tell me your name?”   


“Can you tell me where I am?”   


“Outskirts of Seoul. What’s your name?”   


“Byun Baekhyun.”   


“Where did you come from, Byun Baekhyun?”   


“The woods.”   


“How did you get there?”   


“I crashed.”   


“You were in an accident? A car accident?”   


Baekhyun nodded. “I was going to go see my...” he trailed off. Chanyeol was his secret. Even though he would probably never see Koki again, and no one he knew knew him, he still didn’t want to tell him about him. “My friend.” he corrected. “My friend, but my brother wanted me to drive him to Seoul first, and then I got distracted while driving and we crashed.”   


“And you’re going home to Goyang?” Koki didn’t bother asking if Baekhyun was alright- the man was bleeding from his forehead and seemed a little spacey. Whether he was okay or not was up to the doctors, not him.   


“Yes.” Baekhyun said. Of course, Baekhyun wasn’t from Goyang, but Chanyeol was there. And in a sense, Chanyeol was home to Baekhyun. With Chanyeol is where Baekhyun felt warm and safe, and where he was happiest.   


They say home is where the heart is. Baekhyun’s heart was with Chanyeol, so therefore Chanyeol was home.   


“I think your cab is here.” Koki said, and grabbed the bag of chips and handed them to Baekhyun. He gently laid a hand on his arm and guided him out of the gas station and out to the cab, helping him into the back of it. After Baekhyun was situated, he leaned over into the front, talking to the cab driver. Koki handed him something (which Baekhyun assumed was cash for the cab fare) and walked away, back into the gas station.   


“To Goyang?” the cab driver asked, peering at Baekhyun using the rearview mirror.    


“Yes.” Baekhyun said, nodding.   


“It may be dark by the time we get there.” he said, and pulled away from the gas station. “Just giving you a fair warning.”   


“That’s fine.” Baekhyun said.


	24. [THE LONG GAME] VIII / Goyang, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; implied sexual references

_ -Day 8; Wednesday, June 7th, 2017- _

Kim Minseok parked his car in the driveway of what was Do Kyungsoo’s house; where he was instructed to meet the others.   


“Okay, get the fuck out.” Minseok said, stalling the engine and gesturing towards the door with his head. He grabbed his keys and climbed out.   


“You’re so mean to me, Minnie.” Kim Jongdae pouted, following suit and clambering out of the passenger's seat.   


“Yeah, but I love you, so I get away with it.” Minseok remarked, taking Jongdae’s hand as they made their way up the driveway.    


“I hate it when you’re right, Min.” Jongdae shook his head, and then leaned over and kissed his cheek.   


“I’m always right.” Minseok pointed out, rapping thrice on the door.    


Before Jongdae could argue back, the door was whipped open by a frantic-looking Park Chanyeol, his red hair pushed back and a mess, as if he kept running his hands through it.   


“Fuck.” he muttered, walking away.   


“Wow, nice to see you too, Chanyeol.” Minseok said sarcastically, shutting the door behind him and Jongdae as they stepped inside the house.   


“Chanyeol’s on the verge of having a mental breakdown.” Kim Junmyeon piped up, who was sitting on the floor with his knees up to his chest in his sock feet. Kris Wu sat across from him, a few playing cards laid out before them.    


“He’s upset because he hasn’t heard anything from Baekhyun.” Kris chimed in.   


“I haven’t heard anything from him, either, now that I think about it.” Jongdae mused, pressing his lips together.   


“It’s just really unlike him, you know?” Chanyeol said, pacing around the living room.    


“He probably messed up the dates.” Huang Zitao offered, sitting on the floor near Oh Sehun and Xi Luhan.   


“But I’ve text and called him a million times.” Chanyeol argued. “He’d at least answer me.”   


“Maybe he lost his phone.” Do Kyungsoo said, coming out of the kitchen. Kyungsoo carried two large bottles of pop, and balanced a bowl of chips, too.   


Jongdae shook his head. “No, Baek is too glued to his phone to lose it. He’d sooner lose his head than his phone.”   


“When was the last time you heard from him?” Kyungsoo asked, carefully setting the bowl and bottles of pop down on the ground, and then lowering himself down after.    


“Last night.” Chanyeol answered. He then dug out his phone. “Right before midnight. I told him I was going to bed, and then he said it was unlike me to go to bed that early, and then I called him a loser.”   


“Park Chanyeol? Going to bed before midnight?” Luhan questioned. “What alternate universe am I living in?”   


“My lord, does that mean I’m straight?” Sehun added, fake panic in his voice. Luhan shook him, yelling, and Tao pushed the both of them over, yelling at them to ‘shut the hell up’.   


“He text me last night at about 3am.” Jongdae said after thinking for a moment, shifting his weight. He let go of Minseok’s hand to cross his arms. Minseok moved closer to Jongdae, wrapping his arm around him, and Jongdae melted into him, resting his head on Minseok’s shoulder.   


Chanyeol shot Jongdae a look, glaring at him, and then Kyungsoo broke through. “I think Baekhyun just got caught up in something.” he conceded.   


“You don’t even know him.” Chanyeol snapped defensively. “This isn’t like him, Kyungsoo.”   


“Since when did you care so much about Baekhyun?” Kris questioned, craning his neck back to look at him. He was laying down on the floor now, propped up against the base of the sofa, Junmyeon leaning on his chest and his legs thrown over his. Junmyeon clutched a pen, and was drawing on Kris’ arm.   


“Yeah, it’s like you like him or something.” Sehun chided, and Luhan laughed, making kissing noises.   


“You two are so juvenile.” Tao groaned, shoving the both of them, causing Luhan to bonk heads with Kris. Kris grabbed the pen from Junmyeon and hit Luhan in the arm with it.    


Jongdae laughed, leaning away from Minseok as he did so, doubling over in laughter. “Baekhyun and Chanyeol liking each other?” he said, as if it were the most ridiculous idea on earth. “That’s like thinking Tao’s gonna lose his virginity- ridiculous.”   


Minseok didn’t see the problem with it. Chanyeol seemed to obviously care a lot about Baekhyun and his whereabouts, and Minseok knew that if he was in Chanyeol’s place with a seemingly missing Baekhyun, he’d be throwing up in the bathroom, sick with worry.   


“Tao’s still a virgin?” Kyungsoo asked doubtfully, turning around as he was sitting in front of him.   


“Asexuality, bitch.” Tao said, flipping Kyungsoo off with both hands.   


Luhan groaned. “He’s such a lameass!” he exclaimed. “Never jacks off, never wants to have threesomes...” Luhan clicked his tongue, shaking his head.   


“No wonder Tao is asexual.” Sehun piped up. “Lu has a high enough sex drive for all of us.”   


“I’m always down to fuck. I’ll fuck you right now.” he challenged Sehun.   


“This is bullying!” Sehun shouted, crawling away from Luhan and hiding behind Tao.   


“Okay, no fucking on my carpet.” Kyungsoo chastised.   


“What about sucking dick?” Kris asked.   


“No sexual acts of any kind on my carpet!” Kyungsoo exclaimed.   


“What if we do it on the hardwood?” Luhan questioned.   


“Not in my good Catholic household!”   


“You’re not Catholic, Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol broke in.   


“You don’t know that.”   


“You told me that if I ever used your shaving cream again you’d summon demons from the deepest pits of Hell on me.”   


“That statement still stands true.”   


“Why don’t we just watch a movie?” Junmyeon spluttered, picking up the remote. “I heard there’s some summer specials on. We may be able to catch  _ Dirty Dancing _ .”   


Luhan opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by two knocks on the door, the third and final one faint, as if whoever had knocked decided they didn’t want to halfway through.   


Chanyeol took off and had the door open before Minseok even had time to turn around.   


“Oh my gosh!” Chanyeol yelled, pulling whoever was at the door close to him, so close and so tight that they melted into Chanyeol.   
  


 

_ /Chanyeol/ _

Shaking, Chanyeol pulled Byun Baekhyun closer (if that was possible), re-adjusting and tightening his grip on him.   


“Oh my gosh.” he muttered into Baekhyun’s hair, the red streaks throughout it still vibrant. He was shocked to see him, terrified that something had happened to him. The worry and fear he felt for him still remained, and he focused on nothing other than the fact that Baekhyun was there with him, and that he was safe and alive and breathing.   


He grabbed both of Baekhyun’s cheeks and tilted his head upwards and kissed him, hard and passionate as if his life depended on it and that they were the only single existing thing in the universe.    


Baekhyun, who previously hadn’t moved, but simply opted to lean against Chanyeol’s chest while Chanyeol first embraced him, kissed him back, although with not as much force as Chanyeol. His hands which limply lay at his side were now gently placed on Chanyeol’s waist.   


Baekhyun’s touch was soft, gentle, and light, as if too much pressure would break Chanyeol into a million tiny pieces.   


Chanyeol’s grip was tight, pressing harshly onto Baekhyun as if holding him together.   


Baekhyun was careful with Chanyeol, not wanting to send his pieces flying, and Chanyeol held Baekhyun’s pieces together.    


Chanyeol eventually broke the kiss, slowly releasing Baekhyun’s lips from his.   


As he slowly opened his eyes, watching Baekhyun’s flutter open softly, that’s when he felt a thick, warm substance on his hand, the wetness running over his fingers and down the back of his hand.   


He pulled away from Baekhyun more, holding his hand up in front of his face.   


Blood ran down his hand, dripping onto the hardwood tile.   


Chanyeol’s eyes flicked back up to Baekhyun, who stood there blankly at Chanyeol. His left eye was black, and there was a large gash on the right side of his forehead, blood blending into his hairline and still running down the side of his face. His bottom lip was open, also bleeding.   


“Baekhyun, oh my gosh.” he repeated. Baekhyun looked at him, confused. “You’re bleeding.”

 

Still confused, Baekhyun gently pressed two fingers to his forehead, drawing away blood on his fingers. “Oh.” he muttered. “I guess I am.”   


“Baekhyun, what the hell happened to you?” Junmyeon spoke up, breaking off from Kris by the sofa and wandering over to peer at Baekhyun’s wounds.   


“Let me get you something.” Chanyeol said, and then turned on his heel and ran down the hall to the bathroom.   


As he rooted through the cupboards, looking for a first aid kit of some sort, all he could think of was Baekhyun. He knew it, he knew it all along, he wasn’t alright, he wasn’t okay.   


He just hoped he could help make him even the slightest bit okay.   
  


 

_ /Minseok/ _

“Someone sit him down and get a glass of water.” Tao ordered, standing up. “I’m going to get a cloth, someone else try and find the first aid kit.”   


Tao ran off to the kitchen, Kyungsoo in tow to show him where everything was. Kris followed too, grabbing water, and Junmyeon was up, trying to guide a ‘blank-slate’ Baekhyun to sit down.   


While Chanyeol came back with the first aid kit and handed it off to Tao, Jongdae grabbed Minseok’s hand. He gestured towards the door with his head. “C’mon, Min.” he said.   


“What?” Minseok asked.   


“Let’s go.” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “We’re leaving, Min.”   


“What? No.” Minseok said, shaking off Jongdae’s grip. “We have to help Baek. You know first aid, don’t you?”   


Jongdae shook his head. “Like, CPR, Min. Does it look like Baekhyun needs CPR to you, Min?” Minseok rolled his eyes. “Let’s go.”   


Not far away from them, Tao yelled out in pain, and Junmyeon groaned. “Fuck, Tao.” he muttered, grabbing the needle from him. “If you can’t even hold the needle without hurting yourself, how are you supposed to do Baekhyun?”   


“I don’t think we need to stitch him up.” Kyungsoo chimed in. “It’s not that deep of a cut; let it clot itself.”   


“Yixing’s blood doesn’t clot.” Sehun pointed out.   


“Do we even  _ need _ to stitch him up?” Junmyeon asked, standing over Baekhyun.   


“I don’t know, I’m not a doctor.” Kyungsoo argued.   


“I’m not, either!” Junmyeon exclaimed.   


“Baekhyun’s the doctor here!” Tao added.   


“A vagina doctor.” Chanyeol chided.   


“Aren’t you a doctor, Tao?” Sehun asked.   


“A neuroscientist!” Tao corrected. “In behavioural studies! All I know is that this is gonna fuck him up.”   


“Where are the nausea pills?” Luhan asked, popping out of the hall that led to the washroom. “Kris is still sick.”   


They all went back and forth like that, Tao and Sehun arguing over whether Tao was a doctor or not, Luhan and Kyungsoo trying to find pills for a vomiting Kris, and Chanyeol and Junmyeon panicking and trying direct everyone.   


“Dae, they’re hopeless.” Minseok told him. “We gotta stay.”   


Jongdae scoffed. “I can’t stay here, Min.”   


“Why do you want to leave so bad?”   


“Because I don’t trust him anymore, Min.”   


“What the fuck? The man literally walked through the door with a gash in his forehead. What did he ever do to you?”   


“Min, did you not see that? He _ kissed Chanyeol _ .” Jongdae slowed his words down and said them carefully, as if Minseok was too stupid to understand them.   


“Shocker.” Minseok said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. He knew both Chanyeol and Baekhyun had never said anything outright about being together, and Minseok may have not been the most observant person, but he could still tell the obvious when he saw it. It was the way Baekhyun always sat beside Chanyeol, or the way the two of them always opted to chat only to each other, even when there was a group of people they both knew longer or were closer with to talk to. It was the way they never took their eyes off of each other for long, the way Baekhyun stood on tiptoe and peered in and around crowds to look for Chanyeol. It was the way they gave each other small, smug smiles when meeting, the way they looked at each other as if the other was the only thing in the world.   


Minseok saw that and he admired that, and tried hard and hoped he could give even a sliver of that to Jongdae, despite how much of a dick he could be.   


“Minseok.” Jongdae said, becoming agitated. “Byun Baekhyun is nothing but a filthy liar.”   


“A liar?” Minseok asked, and then laughed. “He hasn’t lied about anything. You’re being immature.” he reached over and grabbed Jongdae’s hand. “Why don’t we go and get new cloths or something? The quicker we get him fixed up, the quicker we can watch a movie. I think you’ll really like  _ Dirty Dancing _ .”   


Now it was Jongdae’s turn to shake off Minseok’s hand. “Min, I’m telling you, it’s best for all of us if we leave now, while we can. Once he stops throwing a bitch fit, it’ll only be drama. He’s only doing it for attention, and you know that as well as I do, Min.”   


“The fuck you going on about?” Minseok asked. “You’re acting like Baekhyun is Regina George or some shit. Just a few weeks ago you were acting like he was your best friend! Why don’t you grow the fuck up for once in your life, Kim Jongdae, and think about someone else other than yourself for once?” Minseok reached out to grab Jongdae’s hand again, but Jongdae moved out of the way before Min could make contact.   


Dae retracted his hand up to his chest, and Minseok reached out again. Jongdae moved his hand away yet again, and in an effort to avoid Minseok, backhanded Minseok across the face.   


Minseok turned to the left, his hand darting up and cupping his own right cheek.   


Although the house was busy, the sound reverberated through loudly, and everyone fell silent. They all turned to look at them, a shocked and hurt Minseok and a shocked and scared Jongdae.   


“Min, I didn’t mean to-“ Jongdae started, but Minseok cut him off before he could finish.   


“Have fun getting home, Jongdae.” he said plainly, much like Baekhyun when he first realized he was bleeding. “You wanted to leave so bad, so there you go.” he turned on his heel and made towards the kitchen, pulling down the hem of his shirt as he did so.   


“That’s really red already.” Luhan commented, who was rinsing off cloths in the sink, letting the red water run down the drain.    


“It’s fine.” Minseok said, sighing. He reached for an extra cloth, also rinsing it under the running water as they heard the door slam and click shut.   


“So, about Chanyeol and Baekhyun.” Luhan teased, and Minseok turned to him and flung the cloth at him, sending water flying.    


He laughed as Luhan grabbed the cloth from him and threw it across the kitchen.


	25. [PURPLE] VIII / Goyang, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Medium language; tobacco use

_ -Day 8; Wednesday, June 7th, 2017- _

“You feeling okay?” Kim Junmyeon asked, peeking his head into the bathroom. Kris Wu was leaning against the bathroom counter, brushing his teeth with an extra toothbrush Do Kyungsoo had found.    


Kris’ eyes darted over to Junmyeon, and gestured for him to come in, and Junmyeon slipped through the bathroom door, carefully closing it again behind him. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Kris said, leaning over into the sink to spit and rinse out his mouth.   


“I didn’t know blood made you sick.” Junmyeon made his way further into the washroom. “I thought you were supposed to be a police investigator.” he poked fun at Kris, who straightened up and gave him a playful glare. Junmyeon stood close enough to Kris to brush his arm.

 

“What my job is has nothing to do with what makes me nauseous.” he said sternly, pointing a finger at Junmyeon. Junmyeon laughed at Kris and opened his mouth to retort back, but Kris reached forward and flicked his fingers against Myeon’s forehead.   


“Ow!” Junmyeon cried out, pressing a hand to his forehead as Kris brushed past him and out of the washroom. He ran after him, hitting him in the arm once had caught up to him.    


Quickly, Kris leaned over and threw Junmyeon over his shoulder, but due to Kris’ already tall height and Junmyeon’s added height, Junmyeon’s heels hit the ceiling with a thud.   


“Careful!” Kyungsoo called from the next room as Junmyeon banged on Kris’ back.   


“Put me down!” he cried, Kris’ arm tight around his back. He began to flail, kicking his feet in front of Kris’ face and punching the small of his back.    


Kris walked into the living room, where a now non-bloody (but still bruised) Byun Baekhyun was nestled on the sofa with Park Chanyeol, who still held onto him tightly despite the large mass of blankets Baekhyun had piled atop him. Huang Zitao and Oh Sehun leaned against the base of the sofa, both on their phones. Kim Jongdae was nowhere to be found, and Kyungsoo, Kim Minseok, and Xi Luhan walked out of the kitchen, Luhan wiping his wet palms on Minseok’s back.   


Junmyeon pouted, outstretching his arms to those coming out of the kitchen. Kyungsoo paid him no attention, whereas Minseok stuck his tongue out at him and Luhan flipped him off.   


“What are you doing?” Sehun asked, and Kris opened the front door.   


“Taking out the trash.” he said, and Junmyeon heard Sehun, Tao, and Luhan guffaw while Kris headed out the door, closing it behind him.   


It was dark out by now, the only light coming from the street lamps across the road and what was being illuminated from inside the Do house. Inside the smooth, paved driveway, multiple cars were parked- one that Junmyeon knew was Chanyeol’s and another he knew was Kris’ (considering he had gotten here in it). The others were assumedly Kyungsoo’s and Luhan’s, as Tao didn’t like driving and Sehun was yet to get his license. There was another parked at the end of the driveway, which was probably Minseok’s, as Jongdae had his license suspended for drunk driving.   


Do Kyungsoo was the second-oldest of five children, the other three still being quite small. A collection of toys- bikes, jump ropes, balls- littered the front lawn.   


“Take me back inside!” Junmyeon exclaimed, pounding on Kris’ back yet again. Kris’ grip loosened, and he tossed Junmyeon onto the front lawn.   


Junmyeon tried to grab onto Kris as he fell, pull him down with him, but to no avail. “Kris!” he whined, holding his arms out, wanting help up.   


Kris shook his head. “This is what you get for making fun of me.”   


“I was just playing!” Junmyeon called out as Kris went up to the front door. “Kris Wu! Don’t you dare leave me out here! It’s dark!”   


Kris left him out there, shutting the door as he went inside.   


Kim Junmyeon was not afraid of the dark. Sure, he kept nightlights in the hall and in his own room, but that was just so he could see if he got up in the night.    


Kim Junmyeon was not afraid of the dark.    


He stood up shakily, switching the flashlight on his phone on. He made his way up to the door, only to find it locked.    


He sighed, pounding on it. “Kris! Let me in! It’s not funny anymore, it’s getting cold!”   


That was a lie. It was the beginning of summer. It cooled down in the night, but not enough to bother someone much.   


The door clicked and opened a crack. Kris’ arm darted in and out, and then the door shut again and clicked. A blanket lay at Junmyeon’s feet.   


He sighed again, stooping over to pick it up. “Kris!” he yelled again. “I’m serious, let me in!”   


He yelled at the door a while longer, but there was no answer. He meant to turn and sit on the steps- perhaps if he was quiet, Kris would let him in.   


However, Junmyeon quickly turned and pounded on the door frantically. From the end of the driveway, an orange light flickered. It was much too dark to be a firefly, and moved around, usually in the same pattern- up and down and to Junmyeon’s left occasionally.   


Junmyeon had no idea what it was, and it wasn’t the dark that scared him but the strange orange light Junmyeon was sure was going to try to kill him.   


“Kris!” he exclaimed. “I’m serious, let me in! I’m going to die out here! If I get murdered it’s your fault!” he tried the door handle again, only to find that it was still locked.   


Cutting through the silence of the dead night, a laugh pierced out. It was loud, and the light lowered, but became larger as it came nearer.   


It was at this moment Junmyeon knew he was going to die.   


Panicking, he grabbed the nearest thing to him to use as a weapon- a red foam bat. He dropped the blanket and raised the bat, knowing he couldn’t use his fists as he couldn’t punch for shit.   


The light came closer, and Junmyeon heard footfalls, too. Bracing himself and squeezing his eyes shut, he squealed, swinging the bat out and away from him.   


“Holy shit!” someone cried, and Junmyeon opened his eyes to Kim Jongdae sitting on the steps at his feet, his hands up and shielding himself.   


“Sh!” Junmyeon shushed him. “Get behind me.”   


“Dude, what the fuck?” Jongdae asked, genuinely confused.   


“There’s a murderer out here somewhere. I just saw them!” Junmyeon lowered the bat for a second, pointing down the driveway. Alas, there was no more murderous orange light. “It was just there!” he insisted.    


“Dude!” Jongdae yelled. “That was me!”   


“But there was a light!”   


Sighing, Jongdae held up his hand, a cigarette in between his fingers. “It was probably this, you  _ Depp _ .”

Junmyeon held a hand out to help Jongdae up, and pulled him to his feet. “Sorry. I thought you were going to kill me. Besides, I didn’t know you smoked.”   


“Yeah, well, now you do.” Jongdae snapped, waving his hand dismissively. He began to make his way down the steps, and Junmyeon quickly discarded the toy bat and scooped up the blanket, following him.    


“Got any extras?” he asked, folding the blanket as he walked. Jongdae whipped his head around, giving Junmyeon a questioning look.   


“Now I didn’t know _ you _ smoked.” Jongdae said. Nonetheless, once he had approached Minseok’s car, he pulled the box of cigarettes out of his pocket and handed Myeon one, along with a lighter.   


“Not usually, if I’m being honest. Only when I’m stressed, really.” he took the cigarette and lighter from Jongdae, balancing the cigarette carefully between his teeth. He flicked the lighter behind his hand, trying to get the cigarette to catch.   


“What do you have to be stressed about?” Jongdae asked, holding his hand out for the lighter, which Junmyeon pressed into it.   


“I’m stressed because I haven’t had my Mental Breakdown of the Month yet.” Junmyeon took the cigarette out of his mouth, allowing the access smoke to come tumbling out. “It’s like when a woman doesn’t get her period when she’s supposed to.”   


Jongdae laughed. “Stressing yourself out because of how not-stressed you are? Sounds like something you’d do. But look at it this way- perhaps Kris is doing you some good.”   


“What do you mean?” Junmyeon asked, confused. He was letting Kris stay with him because he couldn’t get back to China when he was originally supposed to. He saw no personal gain from it (heck, Kris wasn’t even paying rent). Sure, there had been a few kisses, but Kris was an open person- instead of smiles and waves, Kris kissed and cuddled. And sure, Junmyeon lay awake, alone in bed, wishing he could go back to the university nights where he fell asleep cuddled up to Kris and thinking about how he had kissed Kris and when he could kiss him again, but that didn’t mean anything.   


With the cigarette hanging out of his mouth, Jongdae cocked an eyebrow at Junmyeon. “What do I mean?” he laughed, taking the cigarette out and the smoke wafted out of his mouth as he did so. “Come on, Myeon. It’s quite obvious you both are like, hopelessly in love with each other. It’s like some Helen and Troy shit.”   


“Helen and Troy?”   


“Oh shit, not a classical major. Uh, Sandy and Danny?” Jongdae guessed.   


“Yeah, okay, I get that now.”   


“I can’t believe I just compared Helen and Troy to  _ Grease _ .” Jongdae grimaced. “Oh my Hades, I’m going to shoot myself.”   


Junmyeon laughed, pressing the cigarette to his mouth. The two men stood there for a moment, inhaling and exhaling, dropping and bringing cigarettes to their mouths. “But Jongdae, I’m telling you, there’s nothing going on between Kris and I.”   


“Mhm.” Jongdae hummed in a knowing tone. “If there’s nothing between you and Kris, why did he pick you up and ditch you outside? Either you gave  _ really good _ sex or you have _ a lot _ of sexual tension.”    


Junmyeon flushed, the shade of red Kris had said was his favourite the first night they met. He stammered out a few syllables, a string of ‘um’s and ‘ah’s and ‘uh’s. “I’m not like that.” he managed to get out among them.    


“Don’t tell me our dear Kim Junmyeon is a virgin like our not-so-dear Huang Zitao.” Jongdae commented, laughing. He doubled over slightly, the cigarette swinging back and forth in his hand. Junmyeon flushed darker. He didn’t say anything. “Oh my Aphrodite!” Jongdae gasped, slapping Junmyeon on the shoulder. “What a slut!”   


With this, Junmyeon tensed up. “I’m not a slut.” he said curtly, and Jongdae seemed to sense the warning in Junmyeon’s voice.   


“Dude, it was a joke. I didn’t mean it.” He put his palms out in fake surrender.   


Junmyeon sighed, and then felt an arm grab his shoulder and pull him away. He let out a yell, but was soon turned to face Kris, who yanked the cigarette that hung out of his mouth out, dropped it to the pavement of the driveway and stubbed it out with his shoe. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.   


“Kris!” Junmyeon cried out, but Kris had grabbed Junmyeon’s wrist and began to drag him away. 

  
  


_ /Kris/ _

Kris Wu slipped back in through the door, locking it behind him. Oh Sehun still laughed, doubled over into Huang Zitao’s lap.   


“What are you doing to Junmyeon?” Do Kyungsoo asked, sitting on the floor. He was seemingly the only one paying attention to  _ Dirty Dancing _ .

“Locking him out.” Kris said, and Junmyeon began to bang on the door, demanding to be let in. He complained about the dark and the cold, and Xi Luhan tossed Kris a blanket.    


“Here.” Luhan said, holding back laughter. “Give him this.” Kris did, slipping his arm through the door and ditching the blanket before locking the door again.   


Junmyeon yelled a while longer, and the boys inside laughed, and then he stopped, and they still laughed.    


Kris was about to open the door and let him in, when Park Chanyeol, who was laying on the sofa by the window, spoke up. “What’s he doing?” he asked, craning his neck to peer out the window. He didn’t move, as Byun Baekhyun was curled up close to him. He was still very quiet, having said barely a word and barely moving. Chanyeol decided to let Baekhyun rest for tonight, and tomorrow he would find out what had happened to him.   


Sehun clambered onto the sofa, kneeling on Chanyeol’s outstretched legs to peer out the window. “Oh my gosh, he’s got a bat.” he muttered.   


“The hell?” Kyungsoo questioned, also clambering atop Chanyeol’s legs to look out the window.    


“Crap, guys.” Chanyeol complained. “That hurts, get off.” He shook them off, opting to bring his knees up as much as he could without disturbing a seemingly dozing Baekhyun.    


It wasn’t long until everyone was by the window, watching Junmyeon swing a foam bat around knock Kim Jongdae with it.   


“Give it to him.” Kim Minseok muttered.   


“Be nice.” Luhan faked scolded, shoving Minseok’s shoulder. He stuck his tongue out at him in return.   


“What’s Dae doing out there anyways?” Sehun questioned.   


“Probably smoking.” Minseok answered.   


“Jongdae smokes?” Sehun questioned again.   


Minseok nodded. “I believe a lot of us here do.”   


“I don’t.” Sehun crossed his arms.   


“Well good for you.” Luhan commented.   


“We’ve failed as friends.” Tao added.   


“I don’t think that’s what friends are supposed to do.” Kyungsoo said.   


“Jongdae smokes.” Baekhyun said quietly, and no one else said a word, all six focused on him. It was hard to hear him, as he spoke quietly and was facing Chanyeol- his words were muffled into the taller boy’s chest. Chanyeol laid a hand on the back of Baekhyun’s head, stroking his hair. “When Minseok was a freshman in high school he started, and dragged Dae into it, too. Eventually by third year of university Minseok had quit, and Jongdae doesn’t smoke as much. I remember first year he would buy a whole stack of packs and have it done by the end of the week at most. Now, if he buys the same amount, it lasts him a month or so.”   


At first they stood in there in silence, no one wanting to say anything (probably because Minseok was standing right there).    


“Wow, thanks Baekhyun.” Minseok said, sarcasm dripping in his voice. “Appreciate it.”   


He mumbled something, and Chanyeol bent his head forward to hear him, and then looked up. “He says you’re welcome.”   


“So they’re out there smoking?” Sehun asked.   


“Yes, Sehunnie. We just went over this.” Luhan said, and then gestured to the window. If Kris looked carefully enough past the glare, he could see two little orange lights bouncing up and down.   


Kris Wu did not know Kim Junmyeon smoked. They hadn’t even talked about smoking, talked to Junmyeon directly about it, seen his views of it.    


Without really thinking, Kris opened the front door and set off down the front step and driveway. The porch light flicked on, and he could tell they were still watching from the window.   


He approached Junmyeon and Jongdae. Jongdae seemed to see his presence but not register it was him, and Junmyeon didn’t pay attention at all.   


Kris reached forward and grabbed Junmyeon’s arm, turning him towards him. He reached up and took the cigarette from Junmyeon’s mouth and stomped it out on the pavement. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.   


“Kris!” Junmyeon pleaded, but Kris already had his grip on Junmyeon’s wrist and was pulling him away, towards his car. He opened the door and shoved Junmyeon inside, closing the door behind him and then clambering into the driver's seat himself. “What was that?” Junmyeon cried, taking on the same demanding tone Kris had.   


“What were you doing?” Kris asked, matching Junmyeon’s tone.   


“What was _ I _ doing?” Junmyeon said, as if shocked to hear those words tumble out of Kris’ mouth. “What the hell did  _ you _ just do?”   


“Saving your ass.” Kris spat, shifting in the driver’s seat to face Junmyeon. “I can’t believe you would do something like that.”    


“Kris, you’re overreacting.” Junmyeon changed his tone to a much softer one. “It was just a cigarette.”   


“Yeah, and you’re going to end up killing yourself with it.”   


“Perhaps that’s the point, Kris!” Junmyeon exclaimed, changing his tone again and raising his voice.   


Kris relaxed back into his seat, not saying anything. He leaned on the wheel, not facing Junmyeon, either. “You’re not serious about that, are you?” Kris asked, his voice just above a whisper.   


“Kris.” Junmyeon reached out and took Kris’ hand that was slung over the wheel. “I didn’t mean all of it. I didn’t mean to say it.” he sounded choked up.   


“I’m not letting you anymore.” Kris insisted, lacing his fingers through Junmyeon’s.   


“It was just one. It’s okay, Kris, it really is.”   


“That’s what my dad said and now he’s six feet under.” Kris said, and now it was Junmyeon’s turn not to say anything, he just leaned over onto Kris’ shoulder, their hands still intertwined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS;  
> Depp (German, idiot)


	26. [LIAR] IX / Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Vehicular collisions; strong language

_ -Day 8; Wednesday, June 7th, 2017- _

Shortly after Kris Wu had left with Kim Junmyeon, Kim Minseok left with Kim Jongdae, and Oh Sehun, Huang Zitao, and Xi Luhan departed as well.   


That left only Byun Baekhyun, Do Kyungsoo, and Park Chanyeol in the Do household, Kyungsoo cleaning up what was left out from the night’s events, Chanyeol still situated on the couch with Baekhyun cuddled up to him.   


“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun murmured quietly once Kyungsoo had went into the kitchen to do some of the washing up.    


“Mhm?” Chanyeol hummed in reply. He tilted his head down, pressing his lips against Baekhyun’s warm forehead.   


“I’m sorry.” he muttered.    


Chanyeol was confused at this. Baekhyun had nothing to be sorry for- he wasn’t exactly sure of tonight’s events on Baekhyun’s part, but he knew that whatever had happened wasn’t Baekhyun’s fault.   


“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Chanyeol said softly, allowing his lips to brush against Baekhyun’s forehead.   


“I do.” Baekhyun argued. “I think I killed him, Chanyeol.”   


“What happened, Baekkie?” Chanyeol asked, unnerved. He tried his best to mask his nervousness. He pushed himself up on the sofa, sitting up. Baekhyun moved with him, still resting his head on Chanyeol’s chest.   


“I was leaving to come to see you.” Baekhyun started. “But then my brother, Woohyun, came out and told me that I had promised to drive him to Seoul. So I said I would take him there but not back, but first I needed to call you and tell you I would be a little bit late.” Chanyeol listened to Baekhyun intently, as the man spoke quietly and softly. Kyungsoo came back into the den from the kitchen, and he stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. 

 

“I asked my brother if he could dial you, but he didn’t know your number and couldn’t get into my phone so I tried to dial you while I was on the highway. But then I hit someone and we were in a ditch, and I yelled and tried shaking him but my brother wouldn’t say anything or move. He wouldn’t open his eyes, and he was cold.” Baekhyun moved one of his hands to his cheek, as if feeling his own temperature. “I think I killed my little brother, Chanyeol.”   


Chanyeol was stunned at Baekhyun’s words. He had known something had happened to Baekhyun- something harsh and horrible that had turned Baekhyun upside down and inside out. But he had never guessed that it would be the fact that Byun Baekhyun had killed his own brother.   


He re-situated Baekhyun in his arms, holding him tighter and closer than before, one arm wrapped around the smaller boy’s shoulders and the other wrapped around his waist.    


Baekhyun began to shiver, and Chanyeol wasn’t sure whether it was because he was cold or out of fear.   


Nonetheless, Kyungsoo walked over and draped a blanket over the two. “He’ll have to go to court.” Kyungsoo mouthed, and then walked away down the hall.    


Baekhyun’s future legal issues weren’t what was on Chanyeol’s mind right now. He was much more worried about how Baekhyun seemed to be holding up, as he wasn’t himself, and with good reason, too.   


Chanyeol’s thoughts were all over the place, and he didn’t know what to say. Nothing he could say would improve their situation. He could murmur meaningless ‘it’s alright’s and ‘it’s okay’s to Baekhyun, but Chanyeol did not know for sure what would happen and he was in no position to lie to Baekkie.    


Instead he placed small, little kisses on top of Baekhyun’s head, in his hair, on his forehead, and trailed down his cheek. He rubbed the small part of Baekhyun’s deltoid where his hand rested, and did his best to make sure the blanket Kyungsoo had thrown on them was wrapped tightly around him.   


“Why don’t you get some sleep?” Chanyeol whispered. “It’s late, you’ll think and feel better in the morning.”   


“I don’t want to do either right now.” Baekhyun muttered, and moved to slip off of Chanyeol, but Chanyeol scooped him up before he could leave, half bridal style, half like a baby.   


For what wasn’t the first time (and certainly wouldn’t be the last), Chanyeol carried Baekhyun off to bed, laying him down gently and slipping his pants off, knowing Baekhyun always slept really warm. He removed Baekhyun’s shirt, too, and then removed his own shirt. Chanyeol then gently picked up the blankets, carefully wiggling in beside Baekhyun and then dropping the covers over them both.   


Underneath the blankets, Chanyeol draped his arm over Baekhyun, pulling him in so Baekhyun’s head leaned against Chanyeol’s chest, and he felt the tickle of Baekhyun’s breathing as he drew in small breaths.   


Eventually Byun Baekhyun had drifted off to sleep without Park Chanyeol, and he laid there with his small boyfriend in his arms, not caring that the hall light was still on and the door was ajar and neither of them had brushed their teeth.   


Chanyeol had tried his best not to let his thoughts wander, yet they did anyways, his mind thinking about what horrible monsters would creep in because the door was open and how when he was old, he would have to help Baekhyun down the stairs and what awaited he and Baekhyun tomorrow with Baek’s situation, and what waited for them when autumn rolled back around, and if penguins had knees and how many shots it would take for Luhan to get truly wasted.   


It was these same thoughts that eventually lulled him to sleep, his breaths matching those of Baekhyun’s.   
  
~•~   
  


_ “Chanyeol.” Baekhyun said. His voice was echo-y and distant, and Chanyeol opened his eyes, still laying in the bed. _ _   
_ __

_ Except it was just him, and Baekhyun was nowhere to be found.  _ _   
_ __

_ “Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asked, sitting up. Panic began to lace his voice, but was mostly masked by confusion. _ _   
_ __

_ “Chanyeol!” Baekhyun called out again, happily, like he would at the end of the school year when he spotted him across campus. _ _   
_ __

_ “Baekhyun!” Chanyeol repeated, keeping up with the game of Marco Polo replaced with themselves. He threw himself out of bed and stumbled into the den, only in his underwear. _ _   
_ __

_ Normally he would be horrified to be in his underwear, think it was another weird dream, but right now he was too focused on locating Baekhyun. _ _   
_ __

_ Where was he? What did he want? Was he okay? Chanyeol’s questions quickly turned to worry.  _ _   
_ __

_ Chanyeol ventured further, stepping outside into the thick, humid, summer night air, his feet stepping onto the gritty pavement of the front walk. _ _   
_ __

_ Baekhyun stood in the middle of the street, the light from the street lamp making him visible and highlighting his light brown hair. He wore a thin, dark windbreaker that zipped up to his chin like a turtleneck. Baekhyun waved viciously, and called out to Chanyeol again, as if beckoning him to come closer. _ _   
_ __

That’s strange _. Chanyeol thought. _ Baekhyun’s hair was dark, with red Kool-Aid dye. It was warm out, too- no need for a windbreaker, nonetheless a shirt in general.   
__

_ Chanyeol took a step further down the walk, and as he did, a small car, smaller in height than Chanyeol, came speeding down the street. It collided with Baekhyun, and as Baekhyun tumbled Chanyeol did too, feeling the piercing pain of the impact as the world around him flicked to black. _   
  
~•~   
  


_ -Day 9; Thursday, June 8th, 2017- _

“Chanyeol.” Baekhyun said. His voice was no longer distant, no echo, but close, laced with worry and stubbornness. “Chanyeol.” Baekhyun repeated, louder, and then Chanyeol’s eyes flew open as he heard the sound of skin against skin and a stinging, burning feeling against his cheek. “Chanyeol!” Baekhyun said again, raising his hand to slap Chanyeol again. Baekhyun kneeled in the bed beside him.    


Early morning light streaked in through the window, illuminating the room weakly. The door had been mostly shut, and no light crept in as the hall light had finally been shut off.   


“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asked, squinting at him. He propped himself up on his elbow.   


“Oh, gosh.” Baekhyun sighed, lowering his hand onto Chanyeol’s chest, where his other also laid. “You were still asleep, but you grabbed my arm- quite tight, too, I think you left a mark- and woke me up. I tried to tell you to fuck off, but I don’t know if you like, moaned or screamed, or if it was a combination of the two, or what, but it was kinda weird so I turned around and you were sweating like you had just run a triathlon or something. So I tried to wake you up gently, figuring you were having a bad dream, but you wouldn’t wake up, so I shook you and you still wouldn’t wake up so then I slapped you and that seemed to do the trick.” Baekhyun leaned down, resting his chin on Chanyeol’s chest. He reached his hands up, placing one on each of Chanyeol’s cheeks and squishing them together. “Are you okay?” he asked, sticking his bottom lip out.    


“Yeah, I’m fine.” Chanyeol said in between squished cheeks. It wasn’t a complete lie- Chanyeol felt a lot better seeing that Baekhyun was actually there and wasn’t getting hit by cars, but still felt unnerved by what he had seen.   


“Good.” Baekhyun smiled, releasing Chanyeol’s cheeks and kissing him instead.   


“What time is it?” Chanyeol asked, leaning back down and covering his eyes with the palms of his hand.   


“I don’t know.” Baekhyun yawned, lying back down on Chanyeol. “I can’t find my phone.”   


Chanyeol lowered his hands away from his eyes, slinging one arm over Baekhyun and allowing the other to fumble on the bedside table for the clock. “I don’t think you had it when you came.” Chanyeol told him, turning the clock to face him. The red digital numbers blinked at him, reading 10:51pm. Chanyeol knew they were way past that and into the early hours of the morning, as their friends were still there at 10 to 11.   


“Oh.” Baekhyun muttered. He moved his head so he looked away from Chanyeol. “I forgot.”   


“I’m sorry.” Chanyeol apologized, realizing that Baekhyun had awoken and forgotten about the horrors of last night’s events, and Chanyeol, whom was supposed to protect him, was here, reminding him of it.    


Some boyfriend he was.   


“It’s fine.” Baekhyun sighed. “If you’re okay, I’m going back to sleep.”   


Chanyeol hummed in agreement, and allowed Baekhyun to slip off of Chanyeol, but still kept him close. Baekhyun cuddled close to Chanyeol, using his forearm as a pillow.    


Baekhyun soon returned to drawing in small breaths, and Chanyeol fell asleep to the sensation of Baekhyun’s chest rising and falling in small, short intervals against him.   
  
~•~   
  


Later that morning, before breakfast, Kyungsoo showered, getting ready for a morning shift at a café he worked at, Café Abbiocco .    


Beforehand, Kyungsoo showed Baekhyun the closet where his family kept their games, and he sat at the kitchen table in one of Chanyeol’s tee shirts. He had busied himself with a  _ Disney _ princess puzzle, and was busy piecing together Belle’s dress while Chanyeol stood over the stove, trying not to fry the bacon, eggs, and pancakes he was making for the three of them to the actual pan.   


“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol said, turning away from the stovetop and facing Baekhyun as he looked up. “Watch this.” He held a pan in his hands, where he was flipping pancakes. He moved the pan, meaning to toss the pancake out into the air, but the pan broke off of the handle and tumbled to the tile.    


Chanyeol and Baekhyun exchanged glances, both wanting to laugh but afraid of what had just happened.   


They heard the shower turn off.   


“What the fuck was that?” Kyungsoo yelled through the walls, and then appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, sopping wet, gripping a blue Nemo towel around himself. He took one glance at the broken pan and a frozen Chanyeol with the handle in his hands and sighed. “If I move this pan, and there’s as little as a mark on my tile, you’re paying for new tile.” he threatened, and then nudged the pan away with his foot.   


The tile remained spotless.   


Kyungsoo looked up and glared at Chanyeol. “You’re still paying for a new pan.” he said, and Chanyeol nodded. “And you’re vacuuming today!” he called as he turned and left the kitchen.   


Chanyeol groaned. “Aw, come on! That’s not fair!”   


“Whine one more time and I’ll make you mop, too!” Kyungsoo fired back, and Chanyeol rolled his eyes and mocked Kyungsoo as he bent over to pick up the broken pan and pancake, which had tumbled out of the pan.   


“Do you still want that pancake?” Chanyeol asked Baekhyun, who shook his head furiously. Chanyeol sighed and placed the pancake on a plate. “I’m not making anymore.”   


“Chanyeol, that was just on the floor.”   


“I’ll wash it off.” Chanyeol said, running the tap and holding the plate underneath.    


“I don’t think that’s how it works.” Baekhyun pointed out, snapping the pieces of Snow White’s face into place.   


“Sure it is.” Chanyeol shrugged, and placed a new pancake onto a plate and dropped it in front of Baekhyun. “Bone appetizer.”   


“Again, I don’t think that’s what it is.” Baekhyun told him, taking some silverware Chanyeol handed him.   


“Do you doubt me?” Chanyeol questioned him, placing his watery pancake on the table across from Baekhyun. He placed some eggs and bacon between them, and then took a seat.   


Baekhyun nodded. “Very, and I’m like, 90 percent sure Minseok does, too. I can practically hear him correcting you from wherever he may be right now.”   


“Minseok isn’t here right now!” Chanyeol exclaimed in between mouthfuls on pancakes. “You can’t use him. And I already have dibs on Kyungsoo.”   


“Since when did you have dibs on Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun questioned.   


“Since I said so.” Chanyeol retorted.   


“That’s not fair!” Baekhyun cried, setting his silverware down in frustration. “At least play rock, paper, scissors for him.”   


“No! Kyungsoo is mine!”   


“Oh god, I hope you’re talking about assassination or something.” Kyungsoo chimed in, appearing in the kitchen again. He was fully dressed this time, wearing a white collared shirt and dark jeans. He grabbed a piece of bacon and bit a piece off of it. “This is shit.” Kyungsoo declared, holding the bacon out to Chanyeol. Nonetheless, he grabbed the plate of bacon and carried it over to the door with him. “Aight, I’ll see you in a few hours.” he said, slipping on his shoes. Baekhyun and Chanyeol called out their goodbyes, and then he left.   


“Want to come to the store with me later?” Chanyeol asked.   


Baekhyun shook his head. “I don’t want to get in a car.”   


“It’s not far; we can walk.” Chanyeol said. He didn’t mean to pester Baekhyun in anyway, but rather had intentions of at least getting Baekhyun out of the house and distracting him. He was still unsure of how he was going to get Baekhyun home without not only outing themselves, but without causing anymore trouble with the Byun family.   


“I’ll think about it.” Baekhyun said, standing up from the table stiffly. He scraped his breakfast plate and dropped it in the sink, and then left the kitchen without another word.   


“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol called out, and started after him. He heard the bedroom door close, and when he tried the handle, he found it only to be locked.   


He stalked back to the kitchen, cleaning up from breakfast.   


As he moved plates from table to sink, Chanyeol realized Baekhyun had left his puzzle out. The majority of it was pieced together, and Chanyeol could see the whole picture. However, there were two pieces missing- one of what was supposedly Cinderella’s face, and she stuck up above the rest as the tallest, and she was front and centre. The second was Snow White, also her face, who kneeled on the ground in front of the other princesses. The extra pieces were tossed off to the side, Snow White’s piece snapped in half.   


Chanyeol knew Baekhyun was going through stuff- as if showing up at his doorstep at 10 o’clock at night bleeding from his forehead and not noticing wasn’t enough, Chanyeol knew he was also dealing with the uncertainty of his brother’s death. Whether he was dead or not, Chanyeol knew Baekkie blamed himself for everything that had happened to him, as it was Baekhyun who was able to climb out of the car after shaking his brother and it was Baekhyun who was able to find his way to Chanyeol and not his brother.


	27. [THE LONG GAME] IX / Conviction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language

_ -Day 8; Wednesday, June 7th, 2017- _

The night of June 7th, Kim Minseok drove Kim Jongdae home in silence. As much as they could get, really.   


At first, Jongdae had tried to bug Minseok- apologizing for what had happened, but still not budging in saying that Byun Baekhyun had done nothing wrong. Somehow, Jongdae still saw Baekhyun as in the wrong. “A filthy little lying bitch.” Jongdae had called him.   


Minseok ignored everything Jongdae had said, instead focusing on the road. He took the highway home to Gyeonggi-do, and they passed what seemed to be the clean-up of a car accident.    


“Look, Minnie.” Jongdae had piped up as they passed, removing the earphone he had placed in to ignore Minseok in return. He pointed to the accident. “Looks pretty bad- I mean, the pavement seems to be stained red. Can that happen, Min? Like, stain pavement with blood?”   


Minseok didn’t say anything, barely gave the accident a second glance, and Jongdae turned back to his phone, probably looking up the answer to his question.   


Minseok didn’t know the answer, nor did he particularly want to know. He never did hear the answer to that, as Jongdae never spoke up again for the rest of the drive, except to sing lightly under his breath. Minseok had always thought of Jongdae as a good singer when he tried, and not that ridiculous scream/screech thing he did with Baekhyun when songs they both liked came on.    


Eventually, Minseok pulled into the driveway of his home, and grabbed his things as he opened his car door. “Be glad I didn’t drive you straight to your parents’.” Minseok said, and then clambered out and allowed the door to slam shut behind him.   


“Min!” Dae whined out behind him as Minseok unlocked the front door. “C’mon. I said I was sorry! It was an accident, truly Min!” Jongdae continued to pester him as he made his way into the main room, emptying his pockets onto the counter. “Min, please.” Jongdae said, coming up behind him so Minseok couldn’t avoid him easily.    


“You slapped me.” Minseok said. “Slapped me! What the everloving fuck was that?”   


“I told you, Min.” Jongdae pleaded. “It was an accident, Min, seriously!”   


“Bullshit.” Minseok spat. “Bullshit! That’s absolute bullshit, and you know it, Kim Jongdae, you know it! Just like you know Byun Baekhyun hasn’t done a single fucking thing wrong, especially to you, yet you’re just too fucking bitter to admit it. And you know the shit you’re doing is ruining your relationships and you know you’re a little shit!”   


“Why are you hopping on Baekhyun’s case all of a sudden, Min? What, are you fucking him or something? Minseok, what are you doing that makes you feel entitled to call out my so-called shittyness?”   


“So you’re accusing me of cheating on you now?” Minseok said, taken aback. “Jongdae, I have never cheated on you, nor will I ever. The utter thought of you believing that even for the fraction of a second is ridiculous!”   


“You’ve never cheated on me?” Jongdae scoffed. “Minseok, we haven’t even been together for like, a week.”   


“Jongdae.” Minseok said, lowering his voice and taking on a stern, yet calm tone, like one of a parent’s when they are trying to issue their child a warning. “When was my last relationship?”   


Jongdae thought for a moment, counting on his fingers. “Min, I don’t think you’ve-”   


“Exactly.” Minseok told him harshly, and then turned on his heel and went into his room.   


Quickly, he got ready for bed, and then climbed in and shut off his bedside light, allowing the room to be submerged into darkness.   


It wasn’t long, however, until a small crack of light seeped into Minseok’s room from the door.   


He sat up, slightly groggy (but mostly agitated) and was met with Jongdae at the door, dressed in one of Minseok’s hand-me-down tee shirts and his own dinosaur shorts. “Min?” he asked.   


“The fuck do you want?”   


Jongdae took this as an invitation to come in, and shut the door behind him before crawling into bed beside Minseok, who shifted over to make room for the other man.   


“I’m sorry, Min. For everything.”   


“Just don’t be an asshat, Dae. Please.” Minseok told him, rubbing his eye, really too tired to deal with Jongdae right now.   


Jongdae leaned over and kissed Minseok’s neck. “I can make it up to you, Min.” he intoned, and Minseok reached over and pushed his head away.   


“I know what you’re up to, Mister.” Minseok simpered. “I’m not falling for it. I don’t feel like being sore tomorrow. You can sleep in here if you want, but get your mind out of the gutter.”   


Jongdae compiled, but resulted to laying his head on Minseok’s shoulder instead. “I love you, Min.”   


“I love you, too, asshat.” Minseok said, kissing his forehead. He turned over and wrapped an arm around Jongdae.   
  
~•~   
  


_ -Day 9; Thursday, June 8th, 2017- _

Kim Minseok woke up the next morning to the ringing of the doorbell, and Kim Jongdae’s hand over his face and his foot being driven into his shin as he tossed about in his sleep.   


Minseok mumbled some profanity under his breath as he got up to get the door. He had no idea who would be coming around at eight in the morning, but they better have a good reason for waking him up.   


Groggily, with his purple hair hanging in front of his face, he opened the door. On the other side of the door was a police officer, in full uniform.   


Minseok, however, was still in the clothes he slept in- one of Zhang Yixing’s tee shirts he had stolen and Mickey Mouse shorts Jongdae had bought him a few years ago.   


“Good morning, Officer.” Minseok said, trying his best to avoid a voice crack. Why were the police here? He had done nothing to get him arrested for, unless he was to be wrongly convicted of something. And that wouldn’t be any better, he’d end up like Amanda Knox or something. Oh god, then he’d never be able to travel and he’d be fired from his job and never be hired again and Dae would leave him and he’d never find love and he’d die sad and alone-   


“Good morning.” the officer said, cutting him off of his thoughts. “Is this the residence of Kim Minseok?”   


“God, I’d hope so as you’re looking at him.” Minseok replied. God, why did he say that? Now they’re definitely going to try and convict him of something.   


“Great.” the officer said, smiling slightly. “I’m Officer Park Jeongsu, and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.”   


“Of course, come in.” Minseok opened the door wider and stepped to the side, allowing Officer Park to come in. Minseok led the officer to the table, where he sat down. “Can I get you anything?”   


“Just a water, please.” he said, and Minseok made sure the officer could see every movement as he poured the water into a glass, wanting to make sure the officer didn’t think he was trying to slip anything into his drink.    


As he handed the officer the glass, he sat across from him, his back to the bedrooms.   


“Okay, let’s see here.” Officer Park has taken out a notepad and laid it on the table, a pen in hand. “Where were you yesterday?”   


“For the day, here, working.” Minseok related. “In the evening I drove out to Goyang to visit some friends and returned here early this morning.”   


“And what do you work as?” Park Jeongsu questioned, making note of Minseok’s comment.   


“I just graduated university. I was sending application and academic information to a translation company.” he was indeed doing that, and had to go through and re-do twenty of his pages as Jongdae had spilt coffee all over them.   


“Congratulations.” the officer said, looking up and smiling at Minseok. “Do you know Byun Baekhyun?”   


Minseok nodded, confused on why he would be asking about Baekhyun- Baekhyunnie wasn’t a criminal, was he? “I went to school with him. He was roommates with Jongdae.”   


“And this Jongdae is Kim Jongdae?” Officer Park asked, raising an eyebrow, and Minseok nodded. The officer made note of this, too. “And how do you know Kim Jongdae?”   


Just as Minseok opened his mouth to reply to the officer, figuring he’d find a way to bullshit his way through an answer, Jongdae shuffled out of the room, came up behind Minseok and groggily wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.   


“Morning, Minnie.” Jongdae mumbled. “I was trying to get up early to make you breakfast in bed to apologize for last night.”   


Minseok froze, but could feel his face flushing. “Jongdae, this is Officer Park, here to ask a few questions.”   


Jongdae snapped his head up, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. “Good morning Officer.” he choked out.   


“I think that’s enough of an explanation.” Jeongsu said, laughing. “If you don’t mind, I have a few questions I’d like to ask you as well, Mr. Kim.”   


“Is it about my license?” Jongdae blurted, and Jeongsu laughed again.   


“No, no, I don’t take care of that. I’m in the Missing Persons Investigative Operations.” he relented.    


“Is someone missing?” Jongdae asked, concerned, taking a seat at the table beside Minseok.   


Officer Park nodded. “Byun Baekhyun. He’s been missing for under twenty-four hours still, but under his circumstances we have to undergo our investigation earlier than normal.”   


“Baekhyun is missing?” Minseok repeated, in disbelief. He had seen Baekhyun only a few hours ago- albeit, not in the best state, but he saw him nonetheless. What possibly could have happened in the few hours between when Minseok had left Do Kyungsoo’s ‘till now?   


“Impossible, I saw him just last night.” Jongdae said, and Minseok nodded in agreement.   


Officer Park’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean? Where?”   


“Last night, in Goyang.” Minseok provided. “The two of us travelled out there and Baekhyun had shown up at about 10? 9-ish?” he turned to Jongdae, who nodded in agreement.    


The officer quickly wrote this down. “And where exactly were you in Goyang?”   


“At Do Kyungsoo’s.” Jongdae said, providing him the address. “I think he stayed there with Park Chanyeol.”   


“And who is Do Kyungsoo and Park Chanyeol?”   


“We went to school with them.” Minseok told him. “Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were roommates.”   


“And how do they know Byun Baekhyun?”   


“Kyungsoo knows us through Chanyeol.” Jongdae said. “Kyungsoo is only a second year. Minnie here just graduated, and Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and I just finished our third year. We met Chanyeol this year at an end-of-year party, thrown by Xi Luhan.”   


“And how do we all know Xi Luhan?” Jeongsu asked, making note of what Jongdae had said.   


“Luhan just graduated with Min.” Jongdae continued. “Luhan tried to throw this party every year, it’s sort of a tradition at our school. Everyone went.”   


“One last question, and then I’ll be out of your hair.” Jeongsu emphasized. “Do you have any contact information for Park Chanyeol, Do Kyungsoo, and Xi Luhan?”   


The two Kims nodded in unison. “Yes.” Jongdae affirmed. “I got Kyungsoo’s number last night.”   


Minseok shot Jongdae a look- why the hell did he have Kyungsoo’s number? “And I have Chanyeol and Luhan.”    


They both gave Officer Park their information, and then bid him goodbye and saw him out the door.    


“Min? Do you think Baekkie’s going to be okay?” Jongdae asked, and Minseok wrapped his arms around him, nodding.   


“I think we gave him the exact information he needed.” Minseok said, trying his best to comfort Jongdae. “But I thought you hated Baekhyun’s guts.”   


“He may be a whore, but he’s still my friend, Min.” Jongdae broke away from Minseok, and walked into the kitchen. “Have you eaten breakfast?”   


“That’s what I like to hear.” Minseok smiled, and then shook his head. “No, not yet.”   


“I’ll make you something, Min. We both know I’m the better cook here.”   


“I beg to differ!” Minseok exclaimed, laughing. “We both remember summer ‘01 where you almost lit the kitchen on fire.”   


“I was eight, Min! Eight! And you burnt noodles to the pot the year after!”   


“At your ill advice!” Minseok defended, and the two went back and forth, pointing out each other’s cooking flaws.   


They later decided to do a breakfast run and pick up breakfast sandwiches from a drive-thru somewhere.


	28. [PURPLE] IX / Eternal Bliss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Sexual references

_ -Day 8; Wednesday, June 7th, 2017- _

Eventually Kris Wu put the car into drive, and the two headed back to Kim Junmyeon’s apartment in silence, neither of them allowing the other to release his hand.   


Eventually Kim Junmyeon reached forward with his free hand and turned on the radio, and Kris didn’t complain, nor change it on him. He allowed Junmyeon to fiddle with the dials on the console, switch from radio to CDs Kris kept in his car. Even when Junmyeon switched on songs he knew Kris loved, he still didn’t say anything.   


It’s not like there was anything to say, anyways.   


“Listen, Myeonie.” Kris said finally, breaking the silence after he parked in the lot of the apartment. He sighed and turned to Junmyeon. “I-”   


Kim Junmyeon surprised even himself that night when he leaned over and pressed his lips to Kris’.    


Kim Junmyeon surprised himself even more that night when he felt Kris’ lips push against his, returning the kiss Junmyeon had given him.   


They kissed as they did a week ago in Kris’ dorm, all silent but the soft crooning of the radio and the gentle smack of the two boys’ lips as they moved in unison with one another feverishly.    


The kiss sent a burning, tingling sensation throughout Junmyeon, sent him into such a state that not even the heaviest of drugs could make him feel this high and this alive.   


Their hands were still intertwined between them, resting on the console, and Kris laid his free hand gently on Junmyeon’s cheek, so gently that it was as if Kris was afraid to touch Junmyeon because if he did, Junmyeon would simply fade away from him and that was something Kris simply couldn’t have.   


In turn, Junmyeon placed his hand on Kris’ hip, much like Kris had done to Junmyeon that night in Kris’ dorm. And as the two of them kissed more and more, rougher and rougher, both of them fighting for dominance and trying to figure out if that was really how he was supposed to kiss the other and sending sensations of euphoria throughout them, Junmyeon wrenched his hand back towards himself, pulling Kris’ hip to his and forcing Kris to fall atop him.   


Like that night a week ago, they kissed until their lips felt numb and setting each other alight and on fire.   


But unlike that night a week ago, when Kris’ hands slipped Junmyeon’s shirt up, he hesitated, breaking his lips away from Myeon’s for a moment as if asking for permission.   


Junmyeon opened his eyes, looking up at Kris who hovered above him, breathing deeply and quickly, but not quite a pant. Junmyeon could smell the scent of his cologne, much stronger than when Junmyeon laid his head in Kris’ lap.    


As Junmyeon leaned in to kiss Kris again, he felt the roughness of Kris’ stubble, Kris moved the rest of Junmyeon’s shirt up, and Junmyeon released Kris’ soft lips and the asperous stubble around them and held his arms above his head as he let Kris bring his shirt up and over his head.   


Another feeling of lightheadedness and turning his limbs to jelly rocked throughout Junmyeon as he studied Kris carefully, allowing the outline of his jaw and soft shape of his lips to be imprinted into his mind.   


Quicker than he had Junmyeon’s, Kris removed his shirt as well, but Junmyeon was too busy studying the sharpness of Kris’ collarbone and how his neck flowed into his shoulder and into his arm and chest effortlessly (unlike Junmyeon’s own, whose shoulder seemed a little off-centre from when he had dislocated it as a child) to notice or care where Kris had discarded their clothing.   


Junmyeon reached up and traced Kris’ collarbone with his fingers, feeling the bone beneath it sharp but the skin smooth.   


Kris’ eyes flicked up to Junmyeon’s, who still ran his fingers along Kris’ collarbone gingerly, and the Chinese boy leaned down, kissing the crook of the Korean’s neck, and Junmyeon’s fingers danced down Kris’ chest as he moaned under Kris’ touch.   


Still working on Junmyeon’s neck, nipping and sucking on the skin with something that was sure to leave a mark on his skin, Kris reached down and quickly undid Junmyeon’s pants and slid them down, and then, feeling daring, Junmyeon reached up and did the same to Kris’, and met his lips to Kris’.   


The two boys lay there in the passenger's seat of Kris’ car, pressed against one another.    


Junmyeon had often seen people describe being one with one they love as eternal bliss- more feeling than if it was with someone they had just met, or someone they didn’t really love. It was the kind of love one achieved after years of faithful, loyal marriage, day after day spent with that person and a person’s all given to them.    


If this was the start of an eternal bliss with Kris, Junmyeon wanted more and more of it, and wondered how it could get better than this, as surely this was his eternal bliss.   


Kris laid his hands on Junmyeon gently, but touched and moved him roughly, in such a way that Junmyeon didn’t mind.   


They both fought for dominance, whether it was inside the other boy’s mouth or the other boy himself. Their hands were all over one another, running down his chest and up his back and into his hair and grabbing his hips and ass and moving legs to make room.    


It was blissful pleasure for the both of them, whether it was what the other boy made him feel or how he touched or kissed him or even how he left marks on the other.   
  
~•~   
  


“Perhaps we should have waited until we got inside.” Kim Junmyeon breathed, Kris Wu still pressed against him, his arms wrapped around him.   


“That may have been smarter of us.” Kris laughed.   


Junmyeon reached up with his hand, placed it on the back of Kris’ neck and pulled him towards him, kissing him sloppily on the lips. “It’s early.” he muttered. “We can probably slip in unnoticed. Just depends who’s at the front desk.”    


Two people worked the front desk of the building- Bae Joohyun and Yeo Hoonmin. Joohyun was a long-time friend of Junmyeon’s, and the two boys could fuck again if they wanted in the lobby and she wouldn’t care. Hoonmin, however, was a different story. You breathed wrong while being in the lobby and he would chew you out.    


Fortunately for Junmyeon, Hoonmin usually took the summer off, and made way for a slew of high school students who were looking for part-time work over the summer.    


There was an twelfth grader who had worked the front desk since her grade eight year, and she appeared to be working again this summer before she left for university. Her name was Kim Hyunjin, and Junmyeon had gotten to know her a little over the years, but not as much as he knew Joohyun.   


Hyunjin often kept to herself, doing work she had from summer courses. The only time Junmyeon had seen her do something that wasn’t really in her job description was last year- Junmyeon had travelled home for the summer early, and a drunk Xi Luhan had shown up and demanded to see him, and Hyunjin and brought him up, mostly scared of what would happen if she didn’t otherwise.   


“Let’s hope it’s late enough that they’ve fallen asleep on the job.” Kris murmured, leaning over and handing Junmyeon his shirt, and then his jeans.   


They hastily dressed, the buttons of Junmyeon’s blue button-up askew and one of Kris’ pant legs was rolled and bunched up.   


They wore their shoes as if they were slippers, and they didn’t bother to fix their hair or give any effort, really.   


Kris grabbed Junmyeon’s hand in his, and practically dragged Junmyeon into the building, running through the lobby and spamming the elevator button.   


Junmyeon stood next to Kris, sidled up against him and itching to reach out to him again, longing for his lips and his touch and his body on his again.   


He risked a glance over to the front desk, where Kim Hyunjin sat, a book in front of her. She twirled the end of a pencil in her mouth, and flicked her eyes over to Junmyeon.   


It was as if she was inquiring who the hell Kris was and what Junmyeon was doing so close to him, looking that disheveled and still trying to catch their breaths.   


The elevator finally dinged open, and, much to Junmyeon’s expectation, it was empty.   


He pulled Kris into the elevator, and by the time the doors shut, Junmyeon had grabbed Kris by the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to his height (which was only a few centimetres difference) and brought his lips to his yet again, his stomach twisting and turning into butterflies as he got what he so desperately craved, despite their lips only being apart for a few moments.   


Kris reached behind him and jabbed at the elevator buttons, barely allowing his lips to leave Junmyeon.   


The two still kissed, Junmyeon’s hands firmly on Kris’ collar, pulling down and surely stretching his shirt. Both of Kris’ hands were firmly on either side of Junmyeon’s face, holding him close to him.   


The elevator dinged to a stop, and Junmyeon carefully detached his lips from Kris, glancing over at the elevator. It seemed the elevator stopped much quicker than it normally did, almost instantly.   


The elevator read second floor.   


_ This can’t be right _ . Junmyeon thought.  _ We live on the 7th floor. Surely Kris pressed the right button _ . Indeed he had, as the button with the number 7 painted carefully onto it glowed orange instead of the dull white as the rest did.   


The elevator doors opened, and in stepped a young girl, about Junmyeon’s age, pushing a wheelchair with a frail old woman seated upon it.   


Instantly, Kris and Junmyeon wrenched apart, Kris fixing the collar of his shirt and Junmyeon drumming his fingers against his thigh. Kris then lowered his arms and reached out and grabbed Junmyeon’s hand again, lacing his fingers through his.   


“Oh, we have friends this time, Jayoung.” the woman said, reaching up and tugging on the younger woman’s (assumably the aforementioned Jayoung) sleeve as she reached over to jab at the button for the top floor.    


_ Great _ .   


The elevator and the building itself were old, which often caused the elevator to malfunction- it sometimes took whatever order was recently punched into it, and then dealt with the ones punched in before. This had resulted in Junmyeon riding up and down six times until someone else finally wanted the seventh floor as well.   


“You boys are up awfully late.” the woman observed as the elevator doors slid closed. “You two look tired, too- are you track runners?”   


Jayoung’s eyes widened. 

 

She had obviously picked up on the two’s cues- disheveled clothes, messy hair, heavy breathing, hands clasped together. The old woman, however, did not.   


“Y-yeah, track runners.” Kris stuttered, coughing and dropping Junmyeon’s hand. Myeon wasn’t sure if it was because he was trying to hide a laugh or actually coughing.   


“When I was your age I ran a lot of track.” the woman said again, and the younger woman leaned forward to hush her.   


The elevator then stopped at the seventh floor and the doors opened, and Kris and Junmyeon quickly bid the two goodbye before rushing out. The old woman had called something out (assumably a goodbye), but the doors slid shut and Kris and Junmyeon were already off down the hall to hear.   


Once they reached their apartment, they both searched their pockets for their keys, and Kris found his first, wasting no time in unlocking the door.   


Junmyeon was barely inside the apartment when Kris shut and locked the door, and then had Junmyeon pinned against it.    


Again, they were all over each other, stripping each other of his clothes and lips tracing his jaw and neck and chest and hands everywhere, up and down, grabbing and pulling and pushing and his hands in and out of his hair.   


Again, they were both able to feel what they had moments before, the sensation of the other boy’s lips and touch and their own eternal bliss.   
  
~•~

 

_ -Day 9; Thursday, June 8th, 2017- _

The next morning, Kim Junmyeon awoke snuggled into the crook of Kris Wu’s arm, the smell of that all-to-familiar musky cologne surrounding him.   


Both of Kris’ arms were wrapped around Junmyeon, one his hands still tangled in his hair and pressed against his cheek.   


Junmyeon had fallen asleep next to Kris many times now- at Kris’ dorm; on the sofa the other night. Usually when he woke up, Kris was already up, waiting for Junmyeon to wake until he moved too much, as to avoid jostling Junmyeon awake.   


But for the first time, Junmyeon woke before Kris, and for the first time, Junmyeon could study the sleeping Kris.   


His lips were slightly parted, and he breathed deep, enough that Junmyeon could clearly see his chest rise and fall. He was even more protective of Junmyeon as he slept- his arms were wrapped tighter around him than they were when he had awoken next to him before.    


Somehow, he seemed warmer, too- Kris was like a mini space heater of sorts, and Junmyeon could feel his warmth against his own skin- his head using Kris’ arm like a pillow and Kris’ large, warm hand placed gently on his cheek. Junmyeon’s own hands were curled up between the two of them, and one laid in the crook between Kris’ neck and shoulder.    


Junmyeon closed his eyes again, breathing deep and shifting slightly to re-adjust.    


He didn’t fall back asleep completely, but enough to not notice the vibrations of both his and Kris’ phones, which were both placed on the bedside table.


	29. [LIAR] X / It's Alright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Medium language; implied sexual references

_ -Day 9; Thursday, June 8th, 2017- _

Park Chanyeol was in the bedroom Do Kyungsoo had loaned out to him while he stayed there changing, slipping out of the tee shirt he had slept in and into another when Byun Baekhyun threw a chair at the front door.   


Chanyeol heard the doorbell ring, Baekhyun yell “No!”, and then heard the chair make contact with the door with a thud. Chanyeol exited the room, peeking his head around the corner, and saw the chair laying in front of the door, and Baekhyun inching away from it, as if it had mutated into some giant, ferocious, strange monster and Baekhyun was scared out of his mind of it.   


“Baekhyun-ah?” Chanyeol asked, approaching him carefully. “Is everything okay?”   


“There’s bad men out there, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun whispered, pointing straight ahead to the door. “Don’t answer it, Chanyeol.” he warned. The doorbell rang again, and Baekhyun lunged for another chair, but Chanyeol wrapped his arms around his waist to stop him from doing so.   


“Baek, Baek, it’s okay. It’s fine.” he said softly, and then dragged the chair over and handed it to him. “Here. You can have the chair, and if you need to you can use it. But for now, just hold it, and I’ll get the door. It’s okay.” Baekhyun nodded, gripping the back of the chair as if ready to throw it at any given moment.   


Chanyeol released Baekhyun and walked over to the door. “Be careful, Yeol.” Baekhyun called. “There’s bad men out there.”   


Chanyeol twisted the doorknob and opened it, and on the other side was a man in a police uniform.   


“Good morning. Is Do Kyungsoo or Park Chanyeol here?” he asked, consulting a notepad he held in his hands.   


Chanyeol nodded. “Yes, I’m Park Chanyeol.”   


“Great.” the officer smiled. “I’m Officer Park Jeongsu. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”   


“One second.” he said, and closed the door, turning to Baekhyun. “See?” He walked towards him with his arms outstretched towards him. He wrapped Baekhyun in his arms, kissing the top of his forehead. “He’s not here for you, he just wants to ask me a few questions. It’s okay.”   


“If he asks, you’ve never heard of me.”   


“I’m not lying to the police, Baekkie.” Chanyeol laughed. “I’ll be right back, okay? I’m just outside.” He released Baekhyun and tugged on some shoes, and then met the officer outside. “Sorry.” he muttered, wrapping his arms around himself. “You said you wanted to ask me some questions?”   


The officer nodded. “Yes. Where were you yesterday?”   


“Here.” Chanyeol answered, squinting against the morning sun.   


“And what did you do yesterday?” The officer continued.   


“I had some friends over in the evening, so I spent some of the morning and afternoon preparing for that.”   


“And who was all here yesterday?”   


“Like, who was invited, or just natural comings and goings?” Chanyeol asked. Kyungsoo’s older brother often stopped in, picking and dropping things off.   


“Both.” The officer shrugged.   


“Well, Kyungsoo’s brother stops by sometimes, and I think he dropped some stuff off yesterday morning.” Chanyeol recounted. “And I had invited Kim Jongdae, Kim Minseok, Kim Junmyeon, Kris Wu, Huang Zitao, Xi Luhan, and Oh Sehun.” Technically he had invited Baekhyun as well, but earlier, and for an initial different reason. Therefore, according to Park Chanyeol Logic, that counted as a different event, and one Officer Park Jeongsu didn’t know and didn’t  _ need _ to know about. Baekhyun has also said he didn’t want Chanyeol to tell the police he knew him. Chanyeol never said he didn’t know Baekhyun, he just simply didn’t mention him. There was no harm in that.   


“Do you know Byun Baekhyun?” the officer asked, moving on. Chanyeol’s eyes widened- he hadn’t mentioned Baekhyun, and that was oddly specific.    


“Why?” Chanyeol asked accusingly, wanting to choose his answer carefully.   


“I work for the Missing Persons Investigative Operations department.” Jeongsu told him. “Byun Baekhyun has been missing for a little under twenty-four hours.”    


_ Shit _ . Chanyeol thought. That’s not what he was expecting to hear. A wave of panic and worry hit him. He had Baekhyun in the house; could he be charged or arrested for it? If he told the officer that he had Baekhyun, would Baekhyun get mad at him?   


“Yes.” Chanyeol said, opting to look at the ground instead of the officer as he wrapped his arms around him. “I do know Byun Baekhyun.”   


“How do you know him?” Chanyeol assumed he was taking note of what he just said, but didn’t dare raise his gaze.   


“I’m very close to him.” Chanyeol muttered.   


“Like, how?” Officer Park pressed. “Are you a relative, friend...” he trailed off, wanting Chanyeol to fill in the rest for him.   


“He’s my boyfriend.” Chanyeol spat out, and could feel a lump forming and his throat. He couldn’t do this to Baekhyun. He couldn’t. He’d break him.    


“Do you know where Byun Baekhyun may be?” the officer continued.    


Chanyeol didn’t answer.   


“Do you know?” The officer reiterated after a moment. “Or even have an idea?”   


“Why?” Chanyeol asked, finally looking up at the officer. Chanyeol couldn’t tell if the officer could see the hurt etched across his face and in his eyes. It was as if someone had slipped a knife into Chanyeol’s hand and moved his arm for him, forcing him to plunge the blade deeper and deeper into Baekhyun’s chest, twisting and hurting and killing Baekhyun more and more.   


“He’s a missing persons.” Officer Park said, as if confused as if Chanyeol would even ask that. “We want to bring home, and I assume you would as well.”   


“He’s inside.” Chanyeol choked out, and it was wrenched the knife out of Baekhyun and finally stabbed it into himself. He could feel himself dying as he sent Baekhyun to where he specifically asked not to go. “Let me talk to him first, though, please.” Chanyeol begged, giving the officer a pleading look.   


The officer nodded and gestured to the door with his hand. “Go ahead. But I must come inside. I’ll stay at the door.”   


Chanyeol pondered for a moment, and then nodded. “Of course.” He turned and opened the door, allowing the officer in.   


Baekhyun stood exactly where he was when Chanyeol stood outside with the officer, still gripping the back of the chair tightly. However, when he saw how choked up and distraught Chanyeol looked, he immediately released the chair and rushed over to his Yeol, throwing his arms around him.    


“Yeol?” he asked, looking up at Chanyeol. “Is everything okay?”   


Chanyeol placed both of his hands on Baekkie’s cheeks. “It’s all going to be okay.” he started, and Baekhyun looked at him quizzically. “It’s alright, okay? I’ll come with you. We can come back here later once they let you go.”   


“What do you mean?” Baekhyun asked, beginning to panic now.   


“I’m so sorry, Baekkie.” Chanyeol whispered, dropping his hands from his cheeks and opting to pull him closer. “I really am. But you’re technically a missing persons, and the cops need you. Your family needs you. But I’ll be there with you the whole time. Don’t worry, Baekkie, don’t worry, I’ll be with you, I’m sorry-“   


Baekhyun shut him up by pressing his lips to his, and after a moment Chanyeol released Baekhyun’s lips. “It’s alright.” Baekhyun said quietly, and Chanyeol reached down and clasped Baekhyun’s hand in his.   


“It’s alright.” Chanyeol repeated, and then led Baekhyun to the door, and the two slid into the back of the police cruiser, and Chanyeol kissed Baekhyun’s hand, squeezing it.    


They drove in silence most of the way. Officer Park Jeongsu tried to make a little bit of small talk- he asked how long they had been dating and how long they knew each other, and he was quite confused when they said they had only been dating and known each other for a week.    


He asked about Kim Minseok and Kim Jongdae, how they got along with them and such. Baekhyun said he liked Minseok, but was in a bit of an argument with Jongdae right now.    


Jeongsu asked a few more questions afterwards- how school was going for them, et cetera, but when they stopped giving reasonable answers, the officer opted to give them a rundown of what would happen at the station.   


Officer Park said that Baekhyun’s mother was waiting at the station, along with a medic, who would make sure Baekhyun was unhurt. The police would also ask him a few questions, nothing he should be worried about, and then he was free to leave with his mother.   


“I think one week is a little early to be meeting my parents.” Baekhyun breathed, and Chanyeol laughed and then kissed the side of his head.   


“Don’t worry, I think she’ll like me.” Chanyeol told him. “I mean, I can play guitar and I look good.”   


“Once she gets past the fact that you change your major every year and we literally only used each other for sex for the first few days, I think she’ll quite adore you.” Baekhyun remarked, and Chanyeol laughed and kissed him again.   


He still held his hand tightly.


	30. [THE LONG GAME] X / Good Luck Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language

_ -Day 9; Thursday, June 8th, 2017- _

“Does this look okay to you, Dae?” Kim Minseok asked, straightening the cuffs of his dress jacket in the mirror.   


Kim Jongdae came up behind him, still in the oversized tee shirt and dinosaur shorts he had worn to bed as pyjamas, his mouthful of popcorn.   


“Min, you look sexy.” Jongdae remarked through the mouthful of popcorn.   


“Doesn’t make you look sexy when you talk with all that food in your mouth.” Minseok laughed. He reached up and shook his hand through his purple hair, straightening it out as best as he could. “And you have popcorn kernels stuck to your lips.”   


“Fuck me, Min.” Jongdae commented, setting his bag of popcorn down on a dress table and wiping at his mouth with his thumb. “I meant that in more ways than one, ya know.” He peered over at Minseok from under his eyelashes.   


“Oh, shut up.” Minseok told him, rolling his eyes. “But seriously, does this look okay? It’s important, Jongdae, really.”   


“I already told you, you look great, as always, Min.” Jongdae said, wrapping his arms around Minseok’s waist from behind and nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck.   


Minseok leaned his head against Jongdae’s, leaning into him and placing his hands on Dae’s arms.   
  
They stayed like that for a moment, both of them eventually closing their eyes. They both leaned into one another supporting each other.  


Minseok loved this.   


He loved having Jongdae close, as Jongdae radiated heat as if he was a space heater.   


Minseok, on the other hand, was often cold, to the point where his friends would randomly walk up to him and hold his hands in theirs, warming him up.    


Minseok never minded nor noticed the cold. In fact, he preferred the cold over the heat.   


But Jongdae was warm, and he was the only heat Minseok truly loved.   


With his arms wrapped around him, cuddled close to him, Minseok wanted to stay like that forever. He wanted to reach out and stop the hands from ticking on the clock, stop time.    


But he knew he couldn’t. He had important things to do. He could cuddle with Jongdae later.   


“Dae.” he said softly, taking his warm arms away from his waist and grabbing his hands instead. “I have to go.”   


“I know, Min. I know.” Jongdae replied, matching Minseok’s soft tone as he stepped back away from him. “Where are you going, anyways?” he asked, looking up and talking normally.   


“Interview.”   


“For what, Min?”   


“A job.”   


“Min, didn’t you already get accepted?”   


Minseok nodded. “Yes, but I have to be interviewed to know where I can be positioned.”   


“Can I drive over with you, Min?”   


“Sure, I guess. I mean, I might be long. You might be kinda bored.”   


“I don’t care, Min. I wanna come.”   


“Well, I’m leaving soon, so make sure you’re ready.”   
  
~•~   
  


“ _ Es’te der’mo i umrite _ .” Minseok muttered, leaning against the wheel. The wheel made a long, screeching honk sound, and he reached over beside him and flicked the car off so the sound stopped.   


“What was that, Min? What’d it mean?” Jongdae asked, shifting around in his seat. He had changed out of his dinosaur shorts and oversized tee shirt into yet another dinosaur printed tee shirt that fit him better, and shorts he had taken from Minseok and tied a belt around to make them fit.   


“Russian.” Minseok said. “‘Eat shit and die’.”   


“That sounds really festive, Min. How stressed are you?”   


“Yes.”   


Jongdae laughed. “Listen, Min, you got nothing to be worried about. Just take it one step at a time. You got this, Min. Do you want me to walk you in?”   


Minseok shook his head. “No. I’m okay. Just stressed. I got a lot riding on this.”   


“You’re going to do great, Minseok.” Jongdae said, and then leaned forward, pressing his lips to Minseok as he gently placed his hands on each side of his face, pulling him in.   


Minseok kissed him back, cleaner and deeper than he had at the night of the party when he kissed him for the first time, longer than he had on grad night, more feverishly than he did when they made love.   


Like always, Jongdae tasted sweet and fruity, an explosion of artificially flavoured candies in his mouth.    


Minseok loved kissing Jongdae. It was one of his favourite things to do, hearing the smack of their lips together and running his tongue along the inside of his mouth.   


Jongdae eventually detached his lips slowly from Minseok’s, dropping his hands.    


“For good luck.” Jongdae murmured, his gaze meeting Minseok’s. “Not that you need it, Min. You’re okay to go in now?”   


Minseok nodded, and Jongdae reached over and opened the car door as Minseok slid out.   


“I love you, Min.” Jongdae called out.   


“I love you, too, Dae.” Minseok told him, and then Jongdae shut door before any of them could say anything else.   


Minseok began to make his way into the tall building before him, breathing out sharply and shaking his hands to rid himself of any nerves he had.   


He stopped and turned around on his heel to face Jongdae.   


One last look before he inevitably killed himself. This had to be a suicide mission.   


Jongdae made aggressive gestures in the windshield, shooing him away and telling him to hurry inside before he was late.   


Minseok breathed deeply again and nodded, and Jongdae flashed him a thumbs up and a bright smile before he finally made his way inside (for real this time).   
  
~•~   
  


“Kim Minseok?” a lady called out, and he stood up from the chair he was seated in in the area he was told to wait.   


The building was a translation company head, but gave off more of a doctors office aura than a company.   


“Right this way.” she said, as if taunting him.   


She led him to an office, where a woman with her hair dyed orange sat there, a few papers in front of her and twirling a pen in her fingers.   


“Good day.” Minseok told her as the girl who led him in hurried away, and the orange-haired girl quickly got up to greet him in return.   


“Kim Minseok!” she exclaimed. “I’m very excited to see you. I’m Park Miyeon, corporate head. Please, take a seat.”   


As Minseok did as he was told, Miyeon continued to babble on. “I’ve looked over your papers. They all seem to be in order, and you have the requirements we’re looking for, as you knew beforehand. We’re just looking to accommodate you now, really. What position you’ll take, where, things like that. So let’s start, shall we?” she offered Minseok a reassuring smile and flipped a booklet of papers over. “First of all, where would you like to work? Physical or verbal translation?”   


“I’m okay with either, really.” Minseok began. “I’m flexible, but I’d prefer physical- I’m used to it more.”   


Miyeon quickly took note of his statement, filling in the blanks on her paper. “What languages are you most comfortable in or your strong suits? Korean not included.”   


“English and German.” Minseok replied, sticking his tongue in his cheek as he thought this through. “Russian. Chinese. French.”    


Usually if a friend of his asked him that question, he’d list of a whole bunch of languages, but now that it actually mattered and he’d likely be evaluated on them, he suddenly clammed up, struggling with even Korean.   


Park Miyeon took note of all the languages Minseok had listed, and then turned to a stack of papers and pulled out a few, laying them in front of Minseok.    


“These are assessment papers.” Miyeon exclaimed. “These are all the languages you listed and ones on your resume you listed earlier. You don’t have to do these now; bring them in Monday.”   


Minseok nodded and carefully folded the papers and tucked them into his jacket pocket.   


“Last question and you’re free to go.” Miyeon said, shifting her papers around again. “You said you wanted to work physically- where? Locally? Abroad?”   


“Like I said, I’m flexible.” Minseok answered. “I’m okay with pretty much anything, but I’d love to go abroad. But perhaps not so soon, my boyfriend will be starting his last year of university in the fall and I don’t trust him on his own.”    


Miyeon laughed at that. “I don’t think anyone should really be trusted on their own.” she stood up, brushing herself off. “Anyways, Kim Minseok, it was a pleasure to meet you and I look forward to working with you.”    


She gave Minseok a bright, polite smile, and although it was forced, it was genuine. She shook Minseok’s hand in both of hers and led him out of her office.   


“ _ Svjatoe grebanoe der’mo _ .” Minseok muttered as he slipped back into the front seat of his car.   


Jongdae was still seated in the passenger's seat, his feet propped up on the dash, music emitting from his phone.    


“Min, I’m assuming that means ‘Wow I did really well! Thanks Jongdae, I love you so much, I could never have done this without you!’.” Jongdae said, not looking up from his phone.   


“Close.” Minseok said, sighing and slapping Jongdae’s ankles to move his feet off the dash. “It means ‘holy fucking shit’.”   


“Okay, Min, but did it go well or not?” Jongdae asked, finally glancing up from his phone. He stared Minseok down, as if he was some stereotypical high school queen bee in a chick flick.    


Minseok shrugged. “I guess. I mean, I come in Monday, right? I have papers to fill out. I’ll get a paycheck eventually.”   


“Min, so you’re telling me you were in there for about an hour to pick up papers?” Jongdae questioned, confused.    


Minseok frowned. “Kinda. I talked to the head for a bit. Talked about positioning, my strong and weak points, the likes.”   


“Not going to lie, Min, that sounds really boring and I’m glad but surprised you survived.”   


Minseok laughed as he changed the gear in his car, moving to pull out of their parking spot. “Park Miyeon asked where I’d like to be stationed for translation.” he said quietly.   


“And what’d you tell her, Min?” Jongdae pushed. He sat properly in his seat and had tucked his phone away, turning his music off and allowing the quiet to wash over them. Nothing but the sound of their voices and cars outside as they pulled onto the road.   


“I told her I didn’t want to go far because I didn’t want to leave you, Dae.” Minseok murmured, not bringing his gaze up to Jongdae’s.    


Minseok struggled to tell him this, albeit not knowing why. It’s not like it was bad news or anything. But he felt as if he was betraying Jongdae almost, as if he was telling him he was going to leave.   


“Are you fucking stupid, Kim Minseok?” Jongdae demanded, his fist hitting the dashboard and making Minseok jump, and then slam on the brake and nearly miss running a red light and the traffic ahead of them.   


“ _ Heilige Hölle _ , you scared me.” Minseok said, a hand over his heart as he breathed out. “And no! I’m not! I said I didn’t want to leave you- what’s so bad about that?”   


“You’re a fucking idiot, Kim Minseok! Thick, I tell you.” Jongdae sighed and turned away, as if Minseok had just pulled out literal shit and dropped it on the dashboard. “Do you know what you’ve just done? We could’ve went somewhere nice, Min! Bali! Athens! London! Paris! Ottawa, Berlin, Rome, Vienna! Oh my Zeus, Min, we could have to go to Rome and Vienna. You speak German, don’t you, Min? We can totally go to Vienna!” Jongdae scoffed. “Fortuna, what have you gotten us into, Min? We’ll be stuck here in Korea forever, by Vesta!”   


Jongdae didn’t normally swear by the gods, especially minor ones or Vesta or Fortuna (you knew it was serious when he started using Roman names- everyone knows Greek is better than Roman).    


This was the moment Minseok knew he was in shit, but was confused as to why.    


“Geez, Dae, I didn’t know you wanted to travel that bad.” Minseok laughed. “And besides, I told Miyeon I’d like to go abroad, just not now- I’m waiting for you to finish out your last year.”   


“I can always take a year off, Min.” Jongdae pointed out.   


“You don’t wanna do that. You have one year left. You won’t graduate with any of your friends- Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Yixing...”   


“I’ll graduate with Sehun and Kyungsoo, Min.”     


“I just don’t see the point in it.”   


“I wanna travel, Min. I want to go see all the most beautiful sights the world has to offer with the most beautiful man on earth.” He reached over and took Minseok’s hand, lacing his fingers through his.   


“You’re cheesy as fuck, you know that, right?” Minseok scoffed.    


“Yeah, yeah.” Jongdae said, bringing Minseok’s hand to his lips. “I love you, Kim Minseok.”   


“I love you more, Kim Jongdae.” Minseok muttered, letting go of Jongdae’s hand and wrapping his arm around him instead.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations;
> 
> Es’te der’mo i umrite (Ешьте дерьмо и умрите) (Eat shit and die, Russian)
> 
> Svjatoe grebanoe der’mo (Святое гребаное дерьмо) (Holy fucking shit, Russian)
> 
> Heilige Hölle (Holy hell, German)


	31. [PURPLE] X / Trust

_ -Day 10; Friday, June 9th, 2017- _

“We’re leaving in negative six minutes!” Kris Wu cried, causing Kim Junmyeon to fall off the couch with how scared he was.   


“Since when were we going anywhere?” Junmyeon demanded, recovering on the floor in between the sofa and the coffee table.   


“Since now.” Kris said, leaning against the door on his phone. “I just told you.”   


“Where are we going?” Junmyeon asked, continuing to pester him. “When? Why?”   


“Out for dinner.” Kris replied. “A Chinese place called the Modern. Ever been? It’s got good reviews. And by good reviews I mean Luhan went and said it was good. Yixing and Tao said the leftover takeout was good, too. And why? Because I’m hungry and upset that I now know the Thai takeout guy by name.”   


“Do you have something against Kunpimook?” Junmyeon accused, getting up off the floor. “He’s been delivering me Thai takeout for years. I’m going to be so upset when one of us moves away and he can’t deliver me takeout anymore.”   


“I don’t have anything against him, I just hate that I know him by name!” Kris exclaimed. “I mean, I’ve been here for like, what, a week? And I’ve seen this guy how many times? I might as well get his number! Get friendship bracelets or some shit!”   


“I have his number.” Junmyeon muttered, suddenly finding the carpet very interesting. “And I follow him on Instagram.”   


“Holy shit, Myeonie.” Kris said, shaking his head. “This is why I’m taking you out. I’m sick of Thai food, and I told you I’d take you to a real Chinese place. Preferably in China, but this is as good as we’re going to get- the Real Chinese People Stamp of Approval. And it’s about time I take you out for our first date.”   


“This is a _ date _ ?” Junmyeon cried, panicking.    


It’s not like Junmyeon didn’t want to go on a date, especially with Kris. He had been on dates before, too, although mostly double dates with friends.    


Junmyeon just wasn’t really one for surprises. He needed time to prepare himself mentally before being dragged out, and Kris had told him ‘negative six minutes’. It had to be past that by now.   


And is this what he and Kris were now? People who went on _ dates _ together? Sure, they had slept together and kissed each other and when Kris looked at Junmyeon he felt all warm and fluttery inside and his limbs felt like jelly and when Kris touched Junmyeon he felt all tingly and wanted him to touch him again, and sure, Junmyeon couldn’t stop thinking about Kris and his lips and his arms and how warm he was and the way he smelled and the sound of his laugh, but that didn’t mean anything-   


“It is now.” Kris told Junmyeon, snapping him back to reality. “Are you ready to go?”   


“Give me one minute. I want to change.” There was no way Junmyeon was going out- especially on a _ date _ \- in sweatpants and an old, faded Queen Amidala tee shirt (despite how awesome it was).   


Kris stood by the door, wearing khakis and a light denim jacket, despite it being early summer and too hot for a jacket, let alone denim.   


He could hear Oh Sehun screaming now.   


Junmyeon changed quickly, into something casual enough for dinner, but nice enough to actually be seen in public in.   


“Oh my gosh, I thought you died or something.” Kris called when Junmyeon finally emerged from the recesses of his room. “I was ready to send out an amber alert.”   


“Oh, come on.” Junmyeon said with an eye roll. “You take way longer than me.”   


“This conversation isn’t about me.” Kris said, pointing a finger at Junmyeon, and then reaching down and grasping his hand.   


“How far away is this Chinese place anyways?” Junmyeon asked as the two stepped off the elevator and into the lobby. Junmyeon couldn't spot who was at the front desk.    


Kris shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’m just going to punch the address into the GPS and hope it does what it’s supposed to.”   


“If it’s close we could always walk.” Junmyeon muttered as they walked through the front doors and into the cool, evening air.   


“But I’m too lazy for that.” Kris complained as the two climbed into his car. “And I think you’re forgetting about my chronic walking-long-distances disease.”   


“I thought it was death-by-excessive-stair-climbing.”   


“It’s both.” Kris said, quickly punching in the address for the restaurant and placing his arm around the back of Junmyeon’s seat as he began to pull out of the parking lot, and then placed both hands on the wheel once he was finished. “They go hand in hand.”   


“Ah, makes sense. I’m glad you told me this, I wouldn’t want you to die.”   


“I don’t want to die, either.” Kris said, lifting one hand off of the wheel and grasping Junmyeon’s again.   
  
~•~   
  


Junmyeon couldn’t understand a word anyone was saying. Kris chatted to the server at the restaurant, who had brought and seated them at a table.    


The server had set menus in front of both Kris and Junmyeon, but Kris had taken Junmyeon’s menu and handed it back to the server, and didn’t bother to explain to Junmyeon why.   


The server gestured to Junmyeon and said something at which Kris laughed at and made a gesture with his hand as if denying something, and then the server scurried off.   


“What.” Junmyeon said as soon as the server was out of earshot, blinking confusedly at Kris.   


“He tried to give you a menu in Chinese.” Kris explained, picking up his own menu and holding it up for Junmyeon to see the carefully printed characters in which Junmyeon couldn’t recognize. “And then I told him you don’t speak Chinese, so he got you a Korean menu.” Kris jabbed a finger at Junmyeon’s menu, gesturing to the characters that Junmyeon could easily recognize and read.   


“Oh.” Junmyeon muttered, flipping open the menu. “What should I get?”   


Junmyeon had eaten Chinese food before, but he didn’t order it- both Seo Juhyun and Xi Luhan had brought takeout to the dorm more than once.   


He just wanted Kris’ opinion on what he should get, and an excuse for Kris to read to him in Chinese.   
  
“Let’s just get the number two combo. There’s enough in there for Luhan, Tao, Yixing, and I to split and there still be leftovers.”  


“What’s in it?” Junmyeon questioned, flipping the menu over, trying to find where Kris was reading from.   


“There’s soup with chicken in it, chow mein, moo shu, rice, lo mein, and foo young.” Kris read off.   


“There’s a lot of meins.” Junmyeon observed.    


Kris laughed. “Yes. Do you know what it means?” Junmyeon shook his head. “It basically means noodles. Well, a kind of noodles.”   


Before Junmyeon could say anything further, the server care back to take their order, which Junmyeon let Kris do.   


Kris handed the server both their menus, speaking too fast for Junmyeon to pick anything up if he even knew Chinese.   


“You should teach me Chinese.” Junmyeon said once the waiter left once again.    


“What do you want to know?” Kris asked, laughing.   


“Something basic.”   


“‘Hello’ is ‘ _ nîhâo _ ’.”   


Junmyeon repeated the word.   


“‘Thank you’ is ‘ _ xièxiè _ ’.”   


Junmyeon repeated this back to Kris, too, who laughed. Junmyeon swore he saw his cheeks turn a little red, but he put his face in his hands, resting his elbows on the table.   


“ _ Wô ài nî _ .”   


“ _ Wô ài nî _ .”   


Junmyeon didn’t know what Kris had just told him, and didn’t know what he had just repeated back, but assumed it wasn’t very good as one of the other workers who was making their way through tables made a noise when they heard, halfway between a scoff and choke.   


“What does it mean?” Junmyeon asked, lowering his voice and furrowing his brow.    


“I’ll tell you later.” Kris said, smiling like an idiot over at Junmyeon. “ _ Wô ài nî _ .”   


“Teach me how to read.”   


Kris laughed. “That’s a bit harder.” he told him. “I remember quizzing Minseok on different characters for months using these flashcards. We hadn’t even gotten to their meanings yet.”    


“Oh.”   


“It’s hard to learn. I’ll teach you one day, though. Not now.”   


“Tell me something else then.”   


“You’re a horrible person to have a conversation with.”   


“I don’t like social interaction.”   


Kris laughed, abrupt and loudly, and he covered his mouth with the palm of his hand, snickering quietly into it. This caused Junmyeon to slowly lose it too, laughing silently behind his own hand.   


“I don’t know why I found that so funny.” Kris heaved in between words, as if he couldn’t breathe.   


“I just laughed ‘cause you laughed.” Junmyeon told him, still snickering a little.   


“Because laughter is contagious.” Kris said. “Tao.” he elaborated when Junmyeon shot him a confused look, and the Korean nodded in understanding. “He gave me like, a thirty minute lecture on laughter. And then he and Minseok had a debate for like, another thirty minutes over whether laughter was a language or not.”   


“I don’t get it.” Junmyeon frowned in confusion.   


“I don’t get it either.” Kris shrugged, and then leaned forward on the table. “When the server comes back with our food, you should tell him ‘thank you’ in Chinese.” Junmyeon nodded. “Do you remember it?” He nodded again, and Kris leaned back off the table, his arms folded. “Tell me something, Kim Junmyeon. I’ve done all the talking on this date.”   


At the mention of the word ‘date’ Junmyeon felt his face flush. Attempting to hide it as best as he could, he did as Kris had, leaning his elbows forward on the table and putting his head in his hands, lightly rubbing his cheeks to try and get rid of the blush.    


“What do you want me to tell you?”   


“Tell me about stupid shit.” Kris said, reaching forward and grabbing one of Junmyeon’s hands and lifting it away from his face. He rest their hands on the table, and quickly laced his fingers through Junmyeon’s, tracing small circles on the back of his hand with the pad of his thumb. “Like your favourite song.”   


“I don’t have a favourite song.” Junmyeon said. “I like _ Lonely _ right now, though.”   


“You like sad songs, don’t you?”   


“I guess.”   


Before Kris could poke more fun at Junmyeon, the server came back, setting different plates down, littering the table.   


“ _ Nîhâo _ .” Junmyeon told him, thanking him once he finished.   


“Oh my god.” Kris groaned. “I teach you two words and you manage to screw that up!” he laughed, shaking his head, and then turned to server and thanked him properly. “I can’t trust you with anything, can I?”   


Junmyeon shook his head. “I’m not very good at Chinese. It’s a hard language to learn.”   


Kris reached forward and flicked Junmyeon’s temple. “You’re lucky I don’t cuss you out right here, right now.” Kris said, and then began moving the dishes around. He scraped some stuff onto Junmyeon’s plate, and then handed him some utensils. “You’ll like this. Trust me.”  
  
“Trusting you is single-handedly the biggest mistake a person can make.” Junmyeon laughed, shaking his head.  


“Perhaps you’re not wrong.” Kris replied, solemnly, and then poked at Junmyeon’s plate. “Open up.” he demanded, and Junmyeon obeyed, immediately opening his mouth. “This is chow mein. You’ll like it.” He carefully maneuvered the noodles into Myeon’s mouth before taking a larger bite of his own. “What do you think? Good, eh?”   


“I think it tastes like noodles.”   


“You’re so blatantly obvious, but yet so oblivious. You amaze me.”    
  
~•~   
  


“Are you going to tell me what that meant now?” Junmyeon asked. Both he and Kris had finished at the restaurant, and, hand in hand, walked out through the parking lot to find Kris’ car.   


It was only the dawn of summer, and the air was hot, but not yet humid and stuffy. This was what Junmyeon labelled as his favourite weather, being able to step outside without freezing or sweating to death, and still feeling the slight chill the wind brought.   


It also made for perfect walking weather, and everyone knows a night walk is better with someone, preferably a tall, handsome, Chinese boy who won’t let you release their hand.   


“Tell you what means what?”   


“The thing you told me.” Junmyeon said, nudging him with his shoulder. “The Chinese.”   


“What was it again?” he asked this as if he really had no clue what Junmyeon was talking about. Had the meaning of whatever phrase Junmyeon had mindlessly repeated to Kris in the middle of the restaurant not been eating at Kris like it had him? Had it not occurred to Kris that the meaning of said phrase would be somewhat important if it provoked such a reaction from passerby?   


“ _ Wô ài nî _ .” Is what Junmyeon meant to say, clearly and perfectly as if he had been speaking Chinese all his life, but it came out much more garbled than that, as if he were a child still learning to speak, still transitioning from gibberish to actual language.    


Kris laughed, ducking his head away from Junmyeon. “You are so goddamn cute.”   


“That’s what it means?”  
  
“No!” Kris cried, laughing again. “Kind of, but not really.”  


“Tell me what it means.” Junmyeon whined, pulling on Kris’ arm.   


“‘I love you’.”   


“That’s what it means?”   


Kris hummed in agreement.   


“Do you know any other ways to say ‘I love you’?” Junmyeon asked as they approached Kris’ car. Kris reached into his pocket and unlocked the car, but stood in between Junmyeon and the door, preventing him from climbing inside yet.   


“ _ Je t’aime _ .” Kris breathed, leaning down and pressing his lips lightly to Junmyeon’s. Before Junmyeon could kiss him back, he lifted his lips away. “ _ I love you _ .” Kris let his lips brush against Junmyeon’s as he spoke, and when he kissed him again, Junmyeon was prepared.    


He grabbed his lips with his, pressing then together harshly as if he hadn’t kissed him in ages and missed him dearly.   


Kris continued to murmur “I love you”’s against his lips, turning the kisses into soft, light ones that came in small, sporadic bursts.   


Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Kris let his lips fall away from Junmyeon’s, pulling his head and his heart out of the blissful heavens.   


“We should get in the car now.” Kris whispered, and Junmyeon nodded, trying to catch his breath. He pushed himself away from Kris, releasing the collar of his jacket, which he hadn’t noticed he had grabbed ahold of.   


They both quickly climbed in, silently, and Kris spoke up as he wrapped his arm around the back of Junmyeon’s seat as he pulled out of the parking spot.   


“Say, Myeon, you haven’t checked your phone today, have you?”   


That wasn’t what Junmyeon was expecting.    


“Not really, no.” Junmyeon said as Kris finished backing out, and placed both hands on the wheel. Junmyeon had spent the day reading, mainly- he was getting through the book Seo Juhyun had gifted him.    


Kris nodded. “So you haven’t seen it, eh?”   


“Seen what?” Junmyeon demanded, panic rising.   


“I got texts from Minseok.” Kris started. “A police officer came to his house asking for information on Baekhyun.”   


“Why?” Junmyeon pushed. “When?” Thoughts and questions clouded Junmyeon’s head, making him unable to pull a proper string of his thoughts out, unable to form something that made sense and was coherent.   


“Remember how he showed up at Kyungsoo’s?” Kris prodded, and Junmyeon nodded. “Bleeding and shit. Anyways, he was in a car accident and went missing from the site. I haven’t checked yet, but Kyungsoo’s was his last known location. Chanyeol’s phone has been off all day, and when Kyungsoo returned home, both Chanyeol and Baekhyun were gone.”   


“Oh my.” Junmyeon muttered. Still unable to compute.   


“Baekhyun missing I can understand.” Kris continued. “It seems like mostly a case of miscommunication. I’ve investigated enough missing persons from car accidents to know that. But Chanyeol is what really strikes me. He had to have left Kyungsoo’s sometime between ten am and four pm, as when Kyungsoo left for work he was there, and when he returned he wasn’t. From what I can pull from Kyungsoo, I still can’t find a reason for him to.”   


It was until times like this that Junmyeon forgot that Kris was a Criminology and Forensic Sciences major.   


“I’m sure they’ll be alright.” Junmyeon managed to force out among the whirlwind of what was his thoughts. “Don’t read too much into it. It’s not your case.”   
  


_ /Kris/ _

“Speaking of cases.” Is what Kris wanted to say.   


“I have something I need to tell you, Junmyeon.” Is what Kris meant to say.   


“You’re right, Myeon.” Is what Kris said instead. “I can’t help it, though.”   
  


**email notification:**

_ to _ : kriswuyifan@hotmail.com 

_ from: _ linxiulan@hotmail.com   
  


Wu Yifan,

The company has managed to pull an earlier flight time for you. Instead of May, as previously discussed, you will board the flight listed below in mid-August. Train info is also listed. However, instead of one continuous train right after your flight, you will stay the night in Beijing and use two layover trains. Chao Jiang will pick you up from the Guangzhou Railway Station.

We are very glad to have you back with us at Yuexiu Police Department sooner than we thought! We hope South Korea is treating you well and this new plan works in convenience for you.   


_ Lin Xiulan _

_ Head of Yuexiu, Guangzhou, Guangdong Police Department _   


_ Current Date _ : Friday, June 9th, 2017   
_ Departure Date _ : Wednesday, August 16th, 2017   
_ Days Until Departure _ : 68   
  
Days Left With Kim Junmyeon: 68

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations;
> 
> Nîhâo (你好) (Hello, Mandarin Chinese)
> 
> Xièxiè (谢谢) (Thank you, Mandarin Chinese)
> 
> Wô ài nî (我爱你) (I love you, Mandarin Chinese)
> 
> Je t’aime (I love you, French)


	32. [LIAR] XI / Baekhyun's Boyfriend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Implied sexual references; medium language

_ -Day 9; Thursday, June 8th, 2017- _

“Mama!” Byun Baekhyun yelled as soon as they stepped foot into the police station. He let go of Park Chanyeol’s hand when he saw her, running over to her and throwing his arms around her.   


“Baekhyun!” she cried, hugging him as well. Baekhyun was taller than his mother now, and easily encased her. She quickly began to shake and sob, hanging onto her first-born son tightly. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so scared and worried.” she muttered, and then broke away from him, hitting him in the arm. “Never do that again!” she exclaimed. “Never do that to me again!”   


“Mama, Mama!” Baekhyun shouted, trying to shoo his mother away. “Stop! I’m fine!” he sneaked a glance at Chanyeol, who hung back a few feet away to give Baekhyun’s mother her space to borderline beat the shit out of him. He had his hand pressed against his mouth, holding back snickers.   


Baekhyun shot him a look, as if it was Chanyeol’s turn next to get his ass beat.   


“I’m sorry.” his mother said, stopping and wrapping her arms around him again. “I just...I almost lost your brother, and I thought I lost you, too.”    


“What?” Baekhyun said, pushing his mother away. What did she mean ‘ _ I almost lost your brother’ _ ? Surely he heard her wrong.   


“Oh, Baekkie...” his mother said, trailing off. Her eyes filled with sadness and pity, and her lip quivered as she placed both hands on his cheeks. “I wish there was a better way to say this, better place, better time, but...” she stopped for a moment, and breathed in deeply, shakily. “Baekhyun, when you and Woohyun got in that accident, Woo almost didn’t make it. He’s comatose. It’s better than him being dead, but the doctors are still unsure of when he’ll be conscious- if he’ll ever be.” she averted her gaze from him, opting to look at the floor and their shoes instead.   


“No.” Baekhyun said, shaking his head and pushing her away again. “You lie. That’s a lie. You’re a liar!” he shouted. Baekhyun refused to believe his mother’s words.    


He was there, in the accident, and he was perfectly fine. He was there, in the accident, and saw Woohyun with his own two eyes.   


He saw Woohyun be taken from the car and he heard the ambulance- they made Woo okay. His brother was okay.    


Baekhyun had repeated those words to himself endlessly over the past 24 hours-  _ “my brother is okay.” “My brother is okay.” “My brother is okay.” _ He had convinced himself of thinking so; he had believed that statement wholeheartedly.   


“Baekhyun, honey.” his mother said, choking back a sob. She clutched her hands close to her chest. “I’m sorry, I really am. It’s hard for all of us.”   


“You’re a liar!” Baekhyun spat, stepping back away from her. “You’re a liar!” he turned and ran away, bolting for the door, but ran into something warm and soft, prohibiting him from leaving.   


“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol said softly, holding onto him. “It’s alright.”   


Baekhyun clawed at Chanyeol, trying to push him away, free himself from the giant’s clutches, trying to get away, but Chanyeol held onto him tightly.   


“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol repeated. “It’s alright.” Baekhyun stopped resisting Chanyeol and looked up to him, trying to keep himself together and forcing the lump in his throat down and trying to pull the knife out that was pushing further and further into his stomach and twisting more and more. “It’s alright.” Chanyeol said again.   


“It’s alright.” Baekhyun repeated.   


“It’s alright.” Chanyeol told him, and then Chanyeol turned him around and grabbed his hand. Staying close to Baekhyun, he followed an officer down a hall to a room, where his mother was seated at a table. Another chair was beside her, and an officer sat across from her. The officer had a collection of papers spread out on the table before her.   


Chanyeol carefully seated Baekhyun down in the empty seat. “It’s alright.” he reassured, and then moved to leave, but Baekhyun’s mother turned around.   


“Who are you?” she questioned, and the officer looked up and Baekhyun turned around, too. “What are you doing here?” she stood up from her chair. “Baekhyun, who is this man?”   


“Mama.” Baekhyun exclaimed, rising from his chair, too. “Mama, It’s alright! He’s alright!” She glared at him, and Baekhyun reached over and grabbed Chanyeol’s hand, pulling him over. “Mama, this is Park Chanyeol. He’s my boyfriend.”   


“A boyfriend?” Baekhyun’s mother cried out, gasping.    


“Mama-“   


“Ma’am!” the officer shouted, standing up and slamming her hands onto the table. “You can figure this ordeal out later. For now, all of you, please sit down. I need to ask you a few questions, sign a few things, and then you are free to deal with this.”   


Baekhyun and his mother sat down immediately, and Baekhyun pulled Chanyeol down with him, who sat on the floor, not sure what else to do.   


“Mr. Park.” the officer said. “Byuns only, please.”   


Chanyeol nodded, and made to get up, but Baekhyun pulled him down again. “He stays.” Baekhyun said stubbornly. “Or I don’t talk.”   


“He can’t testify for anything, though.” The officer said pointedly. Baekhyun nodded. “Officer Park, please get Mr. Park a chair.” Park Jeongsu brought a chair in for Chanyeol, placing it beside Baekhyun.   


“Okay.” the officer said, sighing loudly. “I’m Officer Lee Chaerin, Head of Commands here. I’m going to take your testimony, ask a few questions, and then you’re all free to leave. You’re all being recorded, so we can look back at these records later. Mr. Byun Baekhyun, if you don’t mind, please relay the events of Wednesday, June 7th.”   


Baekhyun shifted in his seat. “I was leaving for Goyang in the afternoon.” Baekhyun started, tightening his grip on Chanyeol’s hand. “My brother, Byun Woohyun, told me I had to drive him to Seoul before I went to Goyang, so I decided to take the highway. I was arguing with Woohyun and fiddling with my phone at the same time, and collided with the car ahead of me.”    


“And what happened after that?” Officer Lee pressed.   


Baekhyun paused, not saying anything. He focused on the edge of the table, the smooth, clean cuts of it.   


Chanyeol squeezed Baekhyun’s hand. “It’s alright, Baekkie.” he said. “Take your time.” Baekhyun looked at him from the corner of his eye, and Chanyeol offered a reassuring smile to him. Baekhyun squeezed his hand in return.   


“I remember spinning.” Baekhyun continued. “And then our car was in the ditch. I don’t remember how long it took me to realize it. I then asked Woohyun if he was okay, if he felt okay, but he didn’t say anything. So I looked over, and he wasn’t doing anything. He just laid there. His eyes were closed, and he was cold.   


“And then some people came. I didn’t understand what they were saying, who they were, what they were trying to do. But they took Woohyun out of the car, and then I left the car. And it was loud. Very loud. There were sirens and people yelling and it felt like the entire world was coming in on me and crushing me. And so I ran, and I lost track of time, and I ended up at a gas station somewhere and the attendant called a cab for me and I went to Chanyeol.”   


Baekhyun’s mother shot daggers with her glare at Baekhyun, and Chanyeol squeezed Baek’s hand again and placed his other atop it.    


“Perhaps we do need a testimony from you, Mr. Park.” Officer Chaerin said, shifting some papers around. “Care to share what happened on your side?”   


Chanyeol sat up straighter, fixing the hem of his shirt. “It was dark out by the time Baekhyun showed up.” he began. “I had been calling him for the past few hours, and Kyungsoo and I even took a drive around the block to make sure he didn’t end up at the wrong house or something. Our other friends started showing up so we didn’t go out again, but I kept calling and texting him, and others did, too.   


“At about ten that night, he showed up at the door. He was bleeding from his forehead-“ Chanyeol paused to gesture to the spot on Baekhyun’s forehead Tao and Junmyeon and cleaned up and bandaged. “He looked a lot worse than this. His eye was black- while still is-“ he paused again and licked his thumb, and then rubbed at a spot above Baekhyun’s eyelid so the makeup he wore smudged away to reveal the skin bruised black underneath.   


“His lip was busted, too.” Chanyeol continued. “Tao and Junmyeon did a good job with that, hm?” he ran his thumb along Baekhyun’s lip. Baekhyun smiled softly and then dropped his gaze to his lap, leaning into Chanyeol.   


“Anyways, I told him to spend the night at Kyungsoo’s with me. I didn’t like the idea of him trying to get home, especially at that hour and with the state he was in. He was dissociative almost- quiet, like a blank slate. Tao said his brain was still trying to process, register, and sort through everything properly. He’s moving too fast, and his brain is still waiting to catch up. It’d catch up with him in his sleep and he’d be better in the morning, and he has improved quite a lot- he’s talking, for starters.”    


Baekhyun and Chanyeol laughed a little at that, and Officer Lee even cracked a smile with that. Baekhyun’s mother did not find anything about this situation quite funny.   


“Okay, well, that seems to be all for now.” Officer Lee said. “We’re going to have the medic come in and take a look at Mr. Byun here, and then you may leave.”   


The medic had Baekhyun sit on the table while she looked him over, and Chanyeol stood next to him but out of the way, not letting go of his hand.   


Baekhyun had that ‘blank-slate’ expression on his face again, complying to the medic easily. It was as if he wasn’t there, retreating into himself. He knew he wasn't registering anything properly.   


Mrs. Byun stood by the wall, regarding Chanyeol with fire in her eyes and ice over her heart.    


Baekhyun knew she’d warm up to him. Chanyeol was extremely likeable, it was hard for someone not to fall absolutely in love with him.

 

~•~   
  


“A boyfriend.” Mrs. Byun repeated later, as if trying the word out for herself.   


“Yes, Mama.” Baekhyun said. He walked in between Chanyeol and his mother, gripping Chanyeol’s hand tightly.    


His mother had insisted that both he and Chanyeol came home with her, seeing as neither he or Chanyeol had access to a car to drive home, and the Byun household was within walking distance from the police station.   


Baekhyun’s mother owned a car and was able to drive, but preferred to walk places. She said that man was made with legs to walk, not push pedals.   


“Why didn’t you tell me earlier, Baekkie?” his mother demanded. Baekhyun couldn’t tell if she was surprised or disgusted. “I wish you would’ve told me you were gay!”   


That wasn’t what Baekhyun was expecting. He turned to his mother, appalled. “But I have!” he insisted. Coming out was one of the hardest things he had done at first, and his parents were the first people he had told. It hurt that his mother didn’t remember.   


“Baekkie, I had always known.” his mother continued. “You need to learn how to clear your search history. Saying your favourite colour is rainbow was a dead giveaway. Is he your first boyfriend? Oh my- was that Kim Jongdae your boyfriend? That explains the showering together. Honey, why didn’t you tell me you broke up? Shame, he was a very nice man.”   


Baekhyun felt his face redden, and beside him Chanyeol snickered, but as his mother continued to babble, it was Chanyeol’s turn to glare at Baekhyun.   


A man could only take so many glares in one day.   


“You dated Jongdae?” Chanyeol demanded.   


“I knew that boy was gay, too.” his mother chimed in.   


“No!” Baekhyun burst. “I’ve never dated Jongdae! Dae and I are just friends. Besides, DaeDae didn’t know he was gay until, like, last week. And we both have boyfriends. That are not each other.”   


“Who’s Jongdae dating?” his mother asked.   


“Minseok, isn’t he?” Chanyeol offered.   


“That’s the one who accidentally swore in front of your brother, right?” Mrs. Byun asked. Chanyeol choked back a laugh.   


“Yes, Mama.” Baekhyun said, frowning. “That is the one.”   


“Now that I think about, he seemed pretty gay, too.”   


“Mama! Not everyone is gay.”   


“Gays surround themselves with other gays, don’t they?” Chanyeol offered.    


“Chanyeollie! Not helping!” Baekhyun exclaimed.   


“Honestly though.” Chanyeol argued. “Think about it. Not one person in our friend group is completely straight.”   


“Sehun-“   


“Pansexual.”   


“Tao-”   


“Asexual.”   


“Yixing?”   


“Bisexual squad.”   


“Oh my gosh.”   


Chanyeol laughed. “It’s true.”   


“So, Chanyoung-“   


“Yeol, ma’am.” Chanyeol said, correcting Mrs. Byun. “Chanyeol.”   


“Sorry.” Baekhyun’s mother said dismissively, and then continued on. “Chanyeol, how long have you known my Baekkie for?”   


“About a week, ma’am.” Chanyeol said, and Baekhyun purposely avoided both their gazes.   


“A week?” Baekhyun’s mother questioned. “I was already engaged to your father after a week.” she hit Baekhyun in the arm. “Perhaps gay relationships work differently.”   


“Mama!”   
  
~•~   
  


“Sanghyun!” Baekhyun’s mother hollered as soon as she set foot in the door. “Baekkie is home! And he brought his boyfriend!”   


“Mama!” Baekhyun yelled out, surprised and appalled.   


“A boyfriend?” Baekhyun’s father queried, stepping out into the hall where Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and his mother, Jiyoung, removed their shoes.   


“Yes!” Jiyoung said, pushing past Baekhyun and Chanyeol. “I told you he was gay.” she said, flicking him in the forehead while she walked past him.   


“I never doubted you!” his father shouted back. “Dinner’s ready, by the way. I made more than I planned, so Mr. Boyfriend should have plenty to eat as well.”   


“I’m staying for dinner?” Chanyeol whispered to Baekhyun, who nodded.   


“Yes.” Baekhyun said. “And then we’ll shower together after.”   


“What?” Chanyeol called out, but Baekhyun had already bounded into the kitchen.   


By the time Chanyeol had entered the kitchen, Baekhyun was already seated at the table, shoving his mouth full of food and tittering to his father in between bites.   


“So this is Mr. Boyfriend?” his father asked, gesturing for Chanyeol to take a seat and setting a bowl in front of him.   


“Park Chanyeol.” Chanyeol introduced himself.   


“Pleasure to meet you.” Baekhyun’s father replied, finally seating himself, and both Baekhyun and his mother reached over and pulled food from his father’s bowl, moving it to their own mouths. Mr. Byun didn’t seem to notice, nor care. “So, which one of you tops?”   


Upon hearing this, Baekhyun dropped everything and pressed a hand to his mouth, choking his food back down. “Papa!” he choked out. “Don’t ask those questions!” he looked over at Chanyeol, who was laughing behind his hands. His face was red.   


“What?” his father queried. “It’s an important question. I didn’t raise no son of mine to be a bottom. A switch, at most, but not a bottom.”   


“Papa!” Baekhyun exclaimed again, also turning red. “I’m not answering that.”

His family chatted with Chanyeol throughout dinner, and afterwards, Baekhyun’s mother rushed Chanyeol to the shower, but held Baekhyun back to assist with the dishes.   


It was usually a job he did with Woohyun- they would take turns washing and drying each night.   


“I like Chanyeol.” Baekhyun’s mother said, handing Baekhyun a dish to wash. “He seems very nice. Tall, but nice.”   


“Mama.” Baekhyun said, handing the dish back to her to dry and stack away. “You can’t tell anyone about Chanyeollie and I, okay?” he said. “We’re supposed to be a secret. Especially from Kim Jongdae.”   


His mother nodded. She knew better than to question her son’s motives. “I won’t. Don’t worry, Baekkie.” she handed him another dish, and then changed the subject. “We’ll go see Woohyun tomorrow?” she asked, and he nodded. “And your dad or I can drive Chanyeol home tomorrow. Where does he live?”   


“He’s staying in Goyang for now with a friend.”   


Later that night, Baekhyun’s mother asked him if he knew how to delete posts off of Facebook.


	33. [THE LONG GAME] XI / MinAndDaeDae

_ -Day 9; Thursday, June 8th, 2017- _

**galaxykris🌟** : chan and baek show up yet??   
**kyungsoo93** : no, not yet.   
**kyungsoo93** : I feel sick.   
**kyungsoo93** : and some other feeling that’s kinda like sick, but not really.

**kyungsoo93** : Like it’s causing my sick.   
**doritao** : that would be worry my dear ksoo   
**kyungsoo93** : oh god make it go away   
**not minseok✨** : wait @ kris whaddaya mean “chan and baek show up yet??”” ?????   
**galaxykris🌟** : jfc cant you read Jared??   
**galaxykris🌟** : ksoo left for work at 10 and when he cane back at 4 Chanyeol and Baekhyun had like teleported or some sht    
**galaxykris🌟** : anyways they pulled a miss keisha and they fckn gone   
**kim junmyeon.** : please stop quoting vines I’m *this* close from throwing you out the window and we live on the seventh floor    
**luluhanxi7** : I guess you could say he won’t hesitate, bitch   
**kim junmyeon.** : OH MY LORDDDDDDDD   
**not minseok✨** : WHAT DO YOU MEAN CHANYEOL AND BAEKHYUN ARE MISSING????   
**galaxykris🌟** : don’t shoot the messenger   
  


 

Dial. Ring. Answering machine.

 

Dial. Ring. Answering machine.

 

Dial. Ring. Answering machine.   


Shove the panic rising in your throat down.    


Try not to sob.    


Shove your hands under your knees to stop the shaking.   


Ignore Kim Minseok at the door.    


Dial. Ring. Answering machine.   


Dial. Ring. Answering machine.   


Dial. Ring. Ans-   


“Hello?”   


Let the sob you’ve been holding in out.   


“Baekhyun.” Kim Jongdae sobbed, his voice cracking and voice shuddering.    


“DaeDae?” Byun Baekhyun replied. “Shut up. Yes, it’s Dae- no! Stop, I’m serious! Bug off, the both of you!” These last phrases came out muffled and faint, as if he had covered the microphone.   


“Oh my Hades, Baekkie!” Jongdae cried. “I thought you were dead! Kyungsoo and Kris said both you and Chanyeol had gone missing and I don’t know what I thought but it wasn’t good. Are you okay? Where are you? Do you feel okay? Have you eaten? Oh my, are you drunk? Please don’t drive.”    


Baekhyun laughed from the other end. “I’m alright, DaeDae. Chanyeol is alright. We’re alright. Everything’s alright.” He proceeded to tell Jongdae what happened, from the very beginning, before he had shown up at Do Kyungsoo’s.   


Jongdae tried his best to keep his cool throughout. He felt his hands beginning to shake again, and he wrung them out and shook them to try and get them to stop.   


“Baekkie, I’m so sorry.” Jongdae sobbed. His voice hitched and he whined as he spoke. He paused for a moment, sobbing uncontrollably into his phone, hearing nothing but Baekhyun’s steady breathing on the other end. “Is Woohyun okay?” Jongdae finally sniffled out.   


“Oh.” Baekhyun said. “Uh, he’s, uh, alive.” he muttered, his voice also becoming hitched and shaky. “He’s, uh, in the hospital right now. He’s in a, uh, coma.” he said the last word carefully, as if he was a young child trying out a swear word for the first time.   


And this is when Kim Jongdae broke into hysterics.   


And Byun Baekhyun matched him from the other end.   


Jongdae hadn’t known Baekhyun for very long. Three years, in fact. Yet, he’s grown very close to the boy a mere four months older than him. Baekhyun quickly became like a brother to him, which meant Baekhyun’s family was his family. Although he had only stayed with the Byuns briefly, Baekhyun’s younger brother, Byun Woohyun, often tagged along with them, whether it was laser tagging or drives to the store for snacks or late night movie watching.   


Jongdae didn’t mind. He loved having Woohyun around. He didn’t have a younger brother of his own (he instead got stuck with an older brother), and desperately wanted someone to follow him around and do things that Jongdae was deemed too mature for, but Woohyun was not.   


Jongdae had grown attached to Woohyun, and hearing this news about him was as if he had heard the same thing about his own mother.   


From the other end of the phone, Jongdae heard rustling. The movement of blankets and tissues being extracted from boxes and noses being blown and fabrics moving.   


“Sh.” a voice hushed from the other end. “It’s alright, Baekkie.” he whispered amidst the sobs of Byun Baekhyun.   


The thought,  _ no _ ,  _ knowing _ , that Baekhyun was being comforted and consoled by someone he loved made Jongdae sob more.   


“Jongdae.” Minseok demanded, knocking on the door. “Please, Dae, let me in.” Minseok himself even sounded on the verge of tears.   


Minseok.   


Jongdae knew he wanted Minseok, as Baekhyun had someone, and he wanted this feeling of utter loneliness over his head to disappear.    


He stood up shakily from the bed, leaving his phone on the sheets, and fumbled with the lock on the door, and then collapsed into Min’s arms, his sobs racking his entire body.    


Minseok wrapped his arms tightly around Jongdae, supporting him fully. He carefully sat him down on the bed, allowing the younger boy to lean against him into his shoulder as he held him close, tracing his fingers down his face and drawing circles on his shoulder.   


They didn’t say anything, submerged in complete silence, the only sound being the sobs that rung from the other end of the phone and Jongdae himself.   


Eventually Baekhyun’s end of the line went dead, and Minseok reached over and hung it up, not leaving Jongdae’s side.   


He didn’t leave Jongdae’s side once that night.

  
  


_ /Minseok/ _

_ -Day 10; Friday, June 9th, 2017- _

It was hard for Kim Minseok to believe that the man who sat before him, holding up handmade paper flashcards with letters of the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets printed carefully on them was Kim Jongdae, the same Kim Jongdae who had locked himself in his room, sobbing over someone who wasn’t even dead yet.   


Minseok and Jongdae had fallen asleep on Jongdae’s bed last night, something they didn’t do very often.   


Jongdae’s bed was technically a spare, and it was a single and small. Barely enough room for one full-grown man, let alone two.   


They usually fell asleep on the sofa or Minseok’s bed (which was larger than the spare), or on nights when they got dead drunk, wherever they passed out.   


Nevertheless, Jongdae seemed like a completely different person this morning than he was last night. He never touched on what had happened last night, and Minseok never bothered to ask- he had heard the whole thing.    


Turns out the glass-against-the-door-thing really does work.   


Obviously wanting to avoid the subject, Jongdae offered to quiz Minseok using MinDae’s Flashcards of Learning Only Minseok Has Interest In, or MDFLOMHII for short.   


They were originally Minseok’s sixteenth birthday present from Jongdae, who had taken Minseok’s language notes and turned them into homemade paper flashcards for him, making memorization easier for him. The two had added to the ever-growing stack of paper over the years, ancient, damaged paper lying with colourful construction paper and crisp, new paper.   


Minseok hung off the end of the couch, watching a seemingly upside-down Jongdae hold up card after card as he sat in the armchair.   


Although Minseok rattled off sounds and names and words he had memorized long ago, his mind was elsewhere.   


Alas, it thought of what it only ever did- Kim Jongdae.   


It was as if his brain was incapable of thinking of anyone or anything else, and it was a wonder Minseok was ever able to learn, retain, or remember anything that wasn’t Jongdae.   


He thought of Jongdae when they were apart. In high school, he almost failed tenth grade science because he spent more time in class daydreaming of him and hating his girlfriend at the time, Kim Hyelim.    


He thought of Jongdae when he was on his way to see him, racing through hallways and drumming his fingers against the wheel of his car nervously.   


He thought of Jongdae when they were together, wanting to be closer to him when they were in one another’s arms and wanting to kiss him harder and more even when they were already all over each other.   


He thought of Jongdae during the day, wondering how he was doing in his classes and if he had eaten yet.   


He thought of Jongdae during the night, his name the last word to grace his lips and dance along his tongue before he slept and the moment he woke up.   


When Minseok was young, he thought of this feeling as fascination; a mutual, friendly love he held for his best friend.    


It wasn’t until he was older did he realize that the reason every time his face flushed and his knees felt weak and his stomach did a million somersaults all at once and his heart felt ready to beat out of his chest wasn’t because he thought of Jongdae as his best friend, but because he was head-over-heels hopelessly in love with his best friend.   


He was smitten with Jongdae from the start, from the very first time he saw the small boy crying in the snow.   


 

_ Second graders are vicious. They will kick and scream and claw, even at one another.  _ _   
_ __

_ That’s how Kim Minseok became Leader of the Second Graders- push Lee Jonghyun off the big slide once and suddenly even Jeon Jiyoon is at your beck and call. _ _   
_ __

_ As Leader of the Second Graders, it was only natural that Minseok got to man the play wheel at the top of the climber and banish Im Junghoon to the sandbox.  _ _   
_ __

_ However, Minseok’s banishing did not mean others could banish people. And his decree to drive out the stupid first graders did not mean his second grade subjects could make other children cry. _ _   
_ __

_ A sob rung out, and Minseok’s declared Second-In-Command, Lee Minyoung nudged him. “Minseok! Someone’s crying.” she said, pouting. They both peered over the edge of the rail, only to be met with three children bundled tightly in jackets huddled around something. _ _   
_ __

_ “Stay here and make sure we don’t crash.” he told her, and she instantly took over the wheel and carefully climbed down the climber, which he was secretly afraid of, but wouldn’t tell anyone. A leader can’t be scared. _ _   
_ __

_ “What are you doing?” he asked once he was on solid ground, and two boys and a girl turned around.  _ _   
_ __

_ “Banishing the younger kids like you said!” the girl cried, and they moved out of the way to reveal a small boy in a bright red coat sitting in the snow. He tried to wipe his tears away, but his large, chunky mittens prohibited him from doing so, and he ended up just moving the bits of hair that poked out from underneath his hat around. _ _   
_ __

_ “Who are you?” Minseok asked him. _ _   
_ __

_ “Kim JongDaeDae.” the kid sniffed. _ _   
_ __

_ “What grade are you in, DaeDae?” _ _   
_ __

_ “Junior kindergarten.” _ __   
  


_ Minseok turned to the three children. “I said banish the first graders, not the the kindergarteners!” he cried. “To the sandbox. For the rest of the week.” He pointed to sandbox, and the three trudged off. Minseok turned back to the kindergartener, holding his hands out. “Do you need help up?” he asked, and the kid nodded and grabbed ahold of his hands and Minseok pulled him up. _ _   
_ __

_ He thought the flip his stomach did was because he had pulled the child up, not the fact that his heart was pulling at him. _ _   
_ __

_ “Thank you.” the kid muttered, and meant to run away, but Minseok grabbed his wrist.  _ _   
_ __

_ “Come with me.” he said. “I’m Kim Minseok. I’m Leader around here. I promise those kids won’t bug you anymore.” _ _   
_ __

_ “Really?” he looked up at Minseok and sniffed, his eyes red from crying. _ _   
_ __

_ Minseok nodded. “They’re banished to the sandbox for the rest of the week.” _ _   
_ __

_ Minseok led Jongdae up the stairs of the climber, insisting the blue climbing ring he had climbed down and Jongdae had originally tried to climb up was too scary for a small child like him. _ _   
_ __

_ “Minyoung!” Minseok cried as they approached. “You’ve been demoted. You’re Third-In-Command now.” _ _   
_ __

_ She pouted. “Why? What’d I do?” _ _   
_ __

_ “Can I play with on the wheel?” Jongdae asked. _ _   
_ __

_ Minseok nodded and shoved Minyoung down the slide when she protested, claiming that she was older than the kindergartener and it was her turn on the wheel. _ _   
_ __

_ Minseok later got placed on the wall for that after she cried, claiming her head hurt (the weak brat), and Jongdae had abandoned the wheel and let Minseok’s second grade subjects crash and sat on the wall along with him. _ _   
_ __

_ Minseok didn’t like any of the second graders.  _ _   
_ __

_ Minseok did like sitting on the wall alone with DaeDae. _ _   
_ __

_ Perhaps all of the other children drowning so he could be alone with DaeDae wasn’t really a bad thing. _


	34. [PURPLE] XI / The Pier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language

_ -Day 10; Friday, June 9th, 2017- _

“I want to take you one more place before we head home.” Kris Wu said, stopping the car at a red light.   


“Ice cream?” Kim Junmyeon intoned.   


“But we just finished dinner.” Kris told him, back tracking. Had he not fed Junmyeon enough? Kris thought they had ordered enough food for more than two people, and the tightly wrapped leftovers that sat on the floor of Kris’ backseat seemed to say that, too.    


“I know.” Junmyeon said, still speaking in that lilting tone. “I just want ice cream.”    


The light turned green and Kris surged the car forward. He kept his eyes on the road, but thought he saw a small smile playing along Junmyeon’s lips from the corner of his eye.   


“Okay then.” Kris sighed. “ _ Two _ places before we head home, then.”   


“Yes!” Junmyeon cheered, re-situating himself in his seat.   


Kris found him so goddamn cute.   
  
~•~   
  


“Okay.” Kris said, parking the car. “This is where I wanted to take you.”   


Junmyeon peered out the windows of the car, surveying the surroundings as best as he could. “The pier?” he asked, his ice cream cone in hand.   


Kris hummed in confirmation. “You said you walk most places, and that you think nighttime walks are prettiest, and this isn’t very busy at this time of night-“   


“I love it.” Junmyeon whispered, and quickly clambered out of the car, grabbing Kris’ hand with his free one.   


“Which way?” Kris gestured to the two ways the pier forked out.   


“Left.” Junmyeon said immediately. “It was believed that Hermes was left-handed as he often held his staff in his left hand, and he was the God of Travellers.”   


“You’re starting to sound like Jongdae, there.” Kris commented as they began to make their way down the pier.   


“We had a few study halls together.” Junmyeon laughed, pausing to lick the ice cream away from the base of the cone, which was coming dangerously close to dripping over and onto his hand.   


“I still can’t believe you got fucking vanilla.” Kris sighed. “Like seriously, out of all those fucking flavours?”   


“They were out of mint chocolate chip.” Junmyeon pouted.   


“That’s even worse. Mint is disgusting.”   


“What do you have against mint?”   


“Everything.”   


The two went back and forth like that, debating topics from best ice cream flavour to whether they were good cooks or not (considering the only reason Junmyeon has lived this far is because of Thai takeout, it was a small conversation) to home.   


“I mean, my home life isn’t that bad.” Junmyeon related. “My parents got a divorce when I was still in high school and my mom married some other guy a few years ago. He has a son about my age, who’s already married. That just makes my mom push my marriage more.”    


“Your mom wants you to get married?” Kris asked, and Junmyeon nodded. He couldn’t imagine why his mother would push it so much on him. They had both just graduated four years of university. Kris knew Junmyeon was looking for a job, and the only way he was making ends meet at the moment was because his parents had paid off university for him. He worked throughout high school and had quite a bit of money socked away, and Kris was pretty sure his parents paid off his bills sometimes.   


Junmyeon nodded. “She was already married to my father and had me by the time she was twenty-five. She says I should be doing the same. She’s been wanting me to marry since I was twenty-three. She says if I’m not married soon she’ll arrange one for me. The thing is, I don’t know if she’s joking or not.” he laughed nervously, temporarily ignoring the ice cream cone in his hand, allowing it to drip off and onto his hand.   


“My mom says I shouldn’t marry.” Kris ripped his gaze away from Junmyeon and looking ahead as they walked. “She says marriages make a woman weak and imposes too many norms and standards. You should be free in a relationship, and she thinks marriage goes against that.”   


“Do you think that?” Junmyeon turned his attention back to the ice cream, wiping his hand off and eating around the cone carefully.   


Kris shrugged. “I’m not sure. A little, I guess. My mom is like, really against marriage, though. Says nothing good comes out of it. I agree with what she says about marriage imposing standards, but not really the whole ‘nothing good comes out of marriage’ thing. I mean, marriage benefits are a thing.”   


Junmyeon laughed. “I’m not against marriage. I’d really like to be married one day. But it doesn’t make me want to when every time I talk to her she asks if I’m getting married yet.”   


“What do you tell her?”   


“I tell her no and change the topic.”   


“To what?”   


“Depends. Sometimes I point out her flawed marriages.”   


Kris snorted. “And how are those marriages flawed?”   


“Because she’s a whore, that’s why.” Junmyeon rolled his eyes. “Married my father, had me, divorced, married some other man with a child. Before her and Dad got divorced, I caught her with other men. My dad worked nights. I never said anything. I’m pretty sure my dad caught on. They told me they just simply fell out of love, and that’s how love works. I’m pretty sure my mom just married him for his money. Mom says you should always marry higher than you. It makes me want to duct tape her mouth shut.”   


“In all honesty, Kim Junmyeon, sounds like my father.” Kris commented, leaning over and taking a bite off of Junmyeon’s cone.    


“How so?”   


“He’s a whore, too.” Kris lamented. “He was married to some woman I’ve never met before my mother. Cheated on my mother while they were together, and divorced. He married some other woman. She may have been younger than me, if not my age.”

“No offence, but that’s kind of weird.” Junmyeon muttered into his ice cream.    


Kris shrugged again. “I don’t care.”   


“At least I can see why your mother hates marriage so much.”   


“And why yours pushes it so much.”   


“Moms are weird.”   


“Girls _ in general  _ are weird.”   


Junmyeon laughed.   


“Seriously! They have weird things that make milk and grow off of them. That’s some fucked shit, babe.”   


“Those are called breasts.”   


“Ew.”   


Junmyeon laughed again. “Homosexuality at its finest.”   


Kris leaned over, lowering Junmyeon’s arm that clutched the ice cream dearly and pressed his lips to his.   


It was there, June 9th, that Kris Wu kissed Kim Junmyeon on the pier at night, allowing the ice cream in his hand to drop to the wooden pier boards and splash on their shoes.   


To Kris, a hopeless romantic due to all the cheesy Disney movies and chick flicks he stuffed his brain with when he was little, deemed this kiss as perfect. Junmyeon’s lips were soft against his, the taste of vanilla still littered in his mouth. Myeonie was warm in his arms, and his cheek tingled where the other boy laid his hand.   


To Kris, all this kiss needed was fireworks in the back and everyone around them (which was no one, they were alone) to burst into song.   


After what seemed like eons, Kris drifted his lips away from Junmyeon’s.    


“Now that’s what I call homosexuality at its finest.” he whispered, and Junmyeon ducked his head, flushing and smiling, accentuating his cheeks.     


“You’re such a little fucker.” Junmyeon muttered, shaking his head. His hand slipped back down and gripped Kris’ tightly. “You made me drop the ice cream. I was enjoying that.”   


They glanced down at the overturned cone splattered across the wooden pier boards.    


“You got it all over my shoes, too.” Kris said, gesturing to his shoes. “It’s fine, though.” he nudged him with his shoulder. “The ice cream, I mean. Leave it. The birds will get it.”   


Junmyeon glared at Kris. “The birds will get sick.”   


“No they won’t. You’re thinking about dogs.”   


“It’ll melt through the boards and make the fish sick.”   


“Ice cream won’t make the fucking animals sick. It’s fine. Let’s keep going.”   


Gingerly stepping over the wasted ice cream, the two continued down the pier.    


It was dark, and lit mainly by the off-cast light of the city, reflecting and shimmering into the water. If you stood close enough to the edge, you could see yourself in it, distorted and fragmented.   


Kris thought the pier was beautiful at this time of night, serene and poetic, but he thought the prettiest sight to see was the boy beside him. But he would never tell him that, as the boy beside him call him a cheesy fucker and try and hide his flush and smile.   


It’s not that Kris didn’t want to see him get all flustered, but Kris knew Junmyeon hated that.    


Besides, the way Junmyeon gripped his hand and wandered a few steps ahead, gazing out at the water and the beautiful display of scenery around them was enough for Kris.   


Junmyeon was enough for Kris.   


The days Kris had left with Junmyeon were not enough for Kris.   
  
~•~   
  
__

_ Like the trees dance in the wind, _ _  
_ __

_ Like a reflection dances in the water, _ _  
_ __

_ Like a ballerina dances onstage, _ _  
_ __

_ Like lips dance across his skin, _ _  
_ __

_ Like his fingers dance across the pages, _ _  
_ __

_ The arms of the clock danced, _ _  
_ __

_ Around and around  _ _  
_ __

_ In the ever-so mesmerizing circle. _ _  
_ __

_ The arms of the clock danced, _ _  
_ __

_ Around and around _ _  
_ __

_ Until the clock struck midnight, _ _  
_ __

_ Halting his world _ _  
_ __

_ From the ever-so mesmerizing  _ _  
_ __

_ Dance he did with him. _ _  
_ __

_ Like leaves fall from the trees, _ _  
_ __

_ Like ice cream falls from a cone, _ _  
_ __

_ Like a ballerina falls when she dances, _ _  
_ __

_ Like stars fall from the sky, _ _  
_ __

_ Like signs fall over in a storm, _ _  
_ __

_ His world fell, _ _  
_ __

_ Little by little _ _  
_ __

_ As he knew the time he had left with him became  _ _  
_ __

_ Shorter and shorter _ _  
_ __

_ And his heart fell out of his chest  _ _  
_ __

_ As the world fell apart _ _  
_ __

_ And danced in his misery. _   
  


Days Left With Kim Junmyeon: 67


	35. [LAIR] XII / Hallucination Situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Implied sexual references

_ -Day 9; June 8th 2017- _

“Has Chanyeol showered?”   


“Yes, Mama!”   


“He has no pyjamas.”   


“He sleeps in his underwear anyways, Mama.”   


“Baekkie!”   


“Good. Otherwise we’d have to sew two sets of your together, and I don’t have time for that.”   


“He’d still be too big for them!”   


“Does your family know I can-”   


“Does Chanyeol need anything else for bed?”   


“No, Mama! I found a spare toothbrush he can use!”   


“Condoms are in the drawer!”   


“Please wait until we’ve at least gone to bed.”   


“My god, you both are awful!”   


“Just because you can’t get pregnant doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use protection.”   


“Mama!”   


“Makes clean up easier.”   


“Papa!”   


“Prevents STDs!”   


“Good night, Mama!”   


Byun Baekhyun shut his bedroom door loudly for emphasis, and then turned to Park Chanyeol.   


“You have to sleep in your underwear.” he said plainly.   


“I know.” Chanyeol replied. “I heard.”   


“Everything?” Baekhyun asked.   


Chanyeol nodded. “Everything.”   


“I’m sorry.” Baekhyun grimaced.   


Chanyeol leaned forward, grabbing Baekhyun’s hand and pulling him down to sit on the bed beside him. “Your parents are very open about things.”   


“They’re not usually like this, I swear.” Baekhyun said. “They’re only saying those things because you’re here. They’re like this when Jongdae’s here, too.”   


Chanyeol laughed, and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by his phone ringing.    


The caller ID read Jongdae.   


Chanyeol glanced over at Baekhyun. “Speaking of.” he muttered, picking up the phone. He placed it on speakerphone. “Hello?”   


“Baekhyun.” Jongdae sobbed from the other end.   


“DaeDae?” Baekhyun replied, question and panic in his voice. Jongdae seemed near hysterics- was he okay? Oh gosh, he couldn’t have yet another person he loved be hurt.   


Baekhyun grabbed the phone, taking it off speakerphone and holding it up to his ear.   


“He sounds drugged out.” Chanyeol whispered.   


At that moment, without even knocking, Baekhyun’s parents cracked the door open, peeking their heads in. “Is that Jongdae?” his father asked.   


“You know, that boy’s dating that Minseok now.” his mother commented.   


“Really? Does that mean you dated him, too?” his father said.   


“Shut up.” Baekhyun hissed at Chanyeol, slamming his hand over the microphone. “Yes, It’s Dae-”   


“Another boyfriend!” his father exclaimed.   


“No!” Baekhyun cried. “Stop! I’m serious! Bug off, the both of you!” he shooed his parents out, and have Chanyeol a pointed look.   


“Oh my Hades, Baekkie! I thought you were dead!” Jongdae wailed, and continued to babble to Baekhyun, who in turn tried his best to console his hysterical friend. “Baekkie, I’m so sorry.” Jongdae said when Baekhyun finished his spiel. “Is Woohyun okay?” he asked after a moment. Baekhyun heard his sobs through the phone.   


Baekhyun felt everything in his body flop to his feet. He felt himself pale, he felt like he was going to be sick.    


With being home and caught up with his parents and their fascination with Chanyeol, Woohyun’s current state had mainly slipped his mind. It was like those nights when he was away at a friends house for the night, and the three simply awaited a call or text from him.   


“Oh.” was all Baekhyun could force out, and Chanyeol studied him carefully. “Uh, he’s, uh, alive.” he muttered. His voice began hitching and shaking, and Chanyeol inched closer to him on the bed. “He’s, uh, in the hospital right now. He’s in a, uh, coma.” The last word hurt to say, as if he was just coming to terms with it now.   


After all, he was.   


And as Jongdae went hysterical, Baekhyun did too, allowing the fact that Baekhyun had sent his own younger brother into a coma to sink in.   


A coma which he may be in for a few days.   


A coma which he may be in for a few months.   


A coma which he may be in for a few years.   


A coma which he may never wake from.   


A coma which Baekhyun had sent him to.   


Chanyeol leaned over Baekhyun, taking a few tissues out of the box Baekhyun kept by his bedside, and handed them to him while he wrapped his arms around him. Baekhyun rested his head against his chest, Chanyeol’s face in his hair, small kisses on his temple and smoothing his hair down.   


“Sh.” he hushed. “It’s alright.”   


Baekhyun felt better in Chanyeol’s warmth, as if he was in the safest place on earth.    


As he tried to settle his sobs, he lost track of what went on around him and time, and before he knew it, he was still in Chanyeol’s arms, but Chanyeol was asleep and a thin blanket was tucked up to Baekhyun’s chin.    


“Yeollie?” Baekhyun muttered, stirring.   


Chanyeol shot up in the bed as if he had just been tasered, and glanced down at Baekhyun. “Everything alright?” he asked.   


Baekhyun nodded. “What time is it?” he muttered, rubbing his eyes.   


“I don’t know.” Chanyeol replied, relaxing back into bed. “Sleep time.”   


Baekhyun laughed softly. “My mom said we could go see Woohyun tomorrow.”   


“That’s good.” Chanyeol said, raking his hand through Baekhyun’s hair and then letting his hand rest on his cheek. “It’ll come quicker if you go the fuck to sleep.”    


“I’m sorry I didn’t say goodnight to you.” Baekhyun continued.   


“Wasn’t the first time I was disappointed.”   


“Hm?” Baekhyun questioned. He thought he and his family had taken good care of Chanyeol. Was there something they had done to disappoint him? Had they harassed him too much?   


“You said we could shower together after dinner.” Chanyeol muttered into Baekhyun’s hair, planting a kiss on his forehead. “It was awfully lonely showering without you.”   


Baekhyun felt himself flush and his shoulder felt alight as Chanyeol traced small circles with his hand there. “We could make up for that now.” he whispered, moving closer to Chanyeol. “Condoms are in the drawer, you know.”   
  
~•~   
  


Byun Baekhyun awoke again a few hours later to the smell of pancakes and no Park Chanyeol.   


Sluggishly, he made his way to the kitchen. Like the morning before, he was met with Chanyeol over the stove, trying his best to not burn the pancakes.   


“I feel like that’s the only thing you know how to make.” Baekhyun greeted, coming up behind Chanyeol and resting his chin on his arm, as that’s all he could reach.    


“Good morning to you too.” Chanyeol commented sarcastically, moving his arm so it wrapped around Baekhyun’s waist. “How’d you sleep?” Baekhyun made a whining noise in return, like he did around exam time. “How do you feel?” Chanyeol laughed, and Baekhyun whined again. “These’ll make you feel better, I promise.” he said, kissing his forehead and scraping one of his pancakes onto a plate in front of Baekhyun.    


“They’re better than yesterday’s.” Baekhyun said through a mouthful of pancake after a few moments. “Too much flour, though.”   


“Like you’ve ever made pancakes before.” Chanyeol teased, rolling his eyes.   


“I so have!” Baekhyun argued. “I’m like, the King of Pancakes. Just ask Woo-“ he cut himself off, resulting to leaning against Chanyeol instead.   


In a panic, Chanyeol grabbed the remainder of Baekhyun’s pancake and stuffed it in the other boy’s mouth, only to receive a strange look from him.   


“I didn’t want you to cry again.” Chanyeol elaborated. “You practically cried yourself to sleep last night. That’s why I made pancakes again! You talked about how much you loved them yesterday.”   


Baekhyun didn’t remember that. He did indeed find it a little difficult to remember things extremely clearly, but Baekhyun was sure he didn’t compliment Chanyeol on his cooking. Kyungsoo called it shit for a reason.   


But was Chanyeol right? And Baekhyun wrong? Chanyeol wouldn’t lie to Baekhyun.   


Would he?   


“Did I?” Baekhyun quizzed, trying to mask his thoughts. He spoke through the pancake.   


Chanyeol nodded. “You said you liked chocolate chips in them, but you didn’t have any.”   


Baekhyun did like his chocolate.   


“Oh.” Baekhyun took the pancake out of his mouth and dropped it back on the plate. “I’m gonna take a shower.” he stammered out, and turned away from him and practically ran down the hall.   


Baekhyun stood in the shower, allowing the water to fall on him, slowly making his hair darker the wetter it got.    


He tried to recall other memories he seemed to have forgotten within the past twenty-four hours. Past that? Forty-two hours? Was anything he thought was his conscious memory even real? Was he fabricating everything? Did anything that happened before the accident even happen?    


Oh god, what if it was one of those ‘you’ve been in a coma for years and life as you know it is just a hallucination’ situation and he was becoming self-aware?   


Coma...   


Hallucination situation...   


Was Baekhyun evident in Woohyun’s dream?   


Was Woohyun real outside of Baekhyun’s dream? Chanyeol? Jongdae? Anyone? Himself? What if he was actually someone else and just someone’s fabricated dream-   


“Baekkie?” Chanyeol called through the door. “You alive? You’ve been in there for like, close to an hour.”   


“Yeah.” Baekhyun called back out.   


“Your mom says once you’re done we can go visit Woohyun.” Chanyeol replied.    


“I’ll be out in a minute.” Baekhyun said, turning the water off.   
  
~•~   


“See, Baekhyun?” Baekhyun’s mother said, opening the car door as Chanyeol stalled the engine. “That’s proper driving. I wish you were as good of a driver as Chanyeol here.”   


“Thank you, ma’am.” Chanyeol said, laughing as he and Baekhyun climbed out.    


“He may be a good driver, but not a good cook.” Baekhyun mumbled.   


“Heard that.” Chanyeol remarked.   


“Heard what?” Baekhyun questioned.   


“Don’t play that game with me.” Chanyeol teased, slipping his hand into one of Baekhyun’s and using his other hand to open the hospital door for his mother.   


Baekhyun glanced down at their hands, Chanyeol’s much larger hand wrapped around his.   


Perhaps Baekhyun’s mind really was fucked up.    


It seemed that the moment he looked up from their hands, the three of them were standing in a bland hospital room, the only sound present was the steady, rhythmic beeping of what was tracking not only his brother’s heart, but ultimately his life.   


Baekhyun had often seen people say when the world was going to end.   


There were those scientists with the clock, and the Mayans in 2012. They said we would see and know the end, when it would come, but wouldn’t know a thing when it actually happened.   


Baekhyun now knew when the end came, he saw it as the walls crumbled around him and the floors caved in and the sky fell, returning to the earth everything that made him once came from.   


He saw it as his mother strolled into the room casually, as if it were her own home, and began fussing with the blankets wrapped around his brother.   


He saw it as Chanyeol stopped a few steps ahead of him, between Baekhyun and his brother, his hand still gripping tightly onto his, his bright red hair flashy against the blandness of the rest of the room.   


“Baekkie.” Chanyeol said softly as the ceiling fell. Chanyeol tilted his head in a gesture to get Baekhyun to move forward. When he didn’t move, Chanyeol came back and wrapped his arm around his waist, bringing him gently to the bed.   


Baekhyun gazed at the sight of his younger brother, lying in the sole hospital bed, serene, oblivious to the windows shattering around them.   


Baekhyun heard both his mother and Chanyeol speaking to him, but their voices were distant and drowned out by the sun falling and hurtling towards them.   


“I want a moment alone.” Baekhyun managed to force out.    


More vague, distant speech, and he eventually felt Chanyeol’s arm leave his waist and his mother’s heavy footfalls and the door click shut.   


Carefully, Baekhyun moved towards the bed, his hands shaky and his breath coming in shudders.   


Once he was close enough, he reached out for his brother’s hand, gripping it within both of his own.    


“I don’t know if you can hear me.” he whispered as the room caught fire, the flames quickly spreading up the walls and engulfing the floor and space around them. “But I’m sorry.” he raised his voice, no longer whispering. “I’m sorry I did this to you. I know it’s my fault. I don’t know how you feel about me now. Whether you trust or love me anymore. If you don’t, please trust me just this once when I say I would do anything to trade places with you, because I really do wish it was me lying in the bed instead of you.   


“I said and did a lot of bad things to you. Especially when you were little. I locked you in cupboards and ratted you out and persuaded you to do bad things and blamed things on you and roughhoused with you. I’m sorry for all of those. I can promise you that when you see me again, I’ll be a better person. I’ll still get mad at you and blame things on you, and I may hit you a few times, but not hard anymore. I won’t lock you in cupboards anymore or purposely leave you at the store and I’ll pick you up from school and let you come places with me and buy you treats.   


“I’m sorry I did this to you.”    


Carefully Baekhyun stepped away from his brother, stretching his arm as he walked away so his fingertips fell from those of the unconscious boy.   


As the flames died down and the sun took its place back in the sky, he walked over to the door and opened it, facing his mother and Chanyeol who stood outside.   


“You can come in now.” he muttered.    


As his mother pushed past him and resumed her fussing, Chanyeol hung back, slipping his hand into Baekhyun’s.   


“Are you alright?” he asked.   


Baekhyun nodded. “I talked to him.”   


“What did you say?”   


“I said that I’d be a better person next time he sees me. That I was sorry and I wouldn’t lock him in anymore cupboards.”   


“I’m sure he appreciates it.”   


“He better.”


	36. [THE LONG GAME] XII / Applications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Mild language

_-Day 31; Monday, July 10th, 2017-_

The next little bit of the summer flew by quickly.  
   

Kim Minseok started regular, full-time hours at the translation company. Kim Jongdae tried his best to get up early every morning to see Minseok before he left, especially since he wore suits he looked good in. However, he often found himself stirring at close to noon, and Minseok was long gone.  
   

Sometimes he would pop in for lunch, and a few times Jongdae took the bus into town to meet the older boy.  
   

When Minseok came home in the evenings, he often brought a lot of paperwork with him, but work he quickly worked through. Jongdae tried to have a homemade dinner ready for when Minseok arrived home the first few nights, but stopped after Minseok came home to burnt chicken and the fire department.   
   

“Why don’t you just stick to simple things?” Minseok had said. “Like instant ramen.”  
   

Some nights when Minseok came home, he brought takeout with him, and other nights they had small date nights and went out to restaurants.  
   

Other nights Minseok came home to Jongdae asleep again on the sofa, dozing off while he binge-watched just about anything he could find on Netflix.   
   

During the day, while Minseok was gone, Jongdae spent his days in front of a screen, conducting small snooping investigations via text.  
   

He found out that Park Chanyeol had returned to his family home for the rest of the summer, having been ‘located’ as Kris Wu said.  
   

Byun Baekhyun saw a doctor and therapist regularly, and Huang Zitao often harassed him via text. There were little to no updates on his brother, but Baekhyun seemed to be coping with it better as time progressed.   
   

Do Kyungsoo’s family had returned, and Jongdae had gotten quite a few texts from his younger siblings (who routinely stole his phone) asking about a Kim Jongin, what ‘fucking’ meant, and invitations to tea parties. Kyungsoo also worked at a small café, and his hours took up most of his time.  
   

Kim Junmyeon got a job at a small clinic, and got dragged out regularly by Kris to do odd things Kris insisted were helping him with his investigation. No one knew who or what he was exactly investigating.   
   

Oh Sehun had left for Australia, and seemed to be enjoying himself, besides the one (accidental) video call they all received of him crying over a snake, if that’s even what it was. Both Minseok and Kris cannot decipher the questionable accent his English has developed.   
   

Zitao left with some friends from his home in China to travel to LA and other nice places. There were multiple drunken uploads to his Instagram, some distinguishable, others not.  
   

Zhang Yixing didn’t have a lot of service in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but did manage to find some good wifi when they made stops in Bali and Taipei. He said he was bringing gifts back, and overall seemed to be having fun, despite his terrible bouts of seasickness.  
   

Xi Luhan went back to China, and already had a small team to start working on a small movie they were going to submit to a film festival. Luhan claimed he didn’t want to release much information about it, but it was quite easy to get stuff out of him in his excitement about it.  
   

It was the beginning of July when Jongdae stepped out one morning after Minseok had left to grab the mail from the box attached outside the front of their house.   
   

He sifted through them at the table, separating the bills from the flyers when he came across an envelope addressed to him.  
   

He quickly ripped it open, not bothering to check who had sent it. Inside lay a folded piece of crisp paper, which he removed and unfolded.  


 

_Kim Jongdae,_

_We are delighted to know you will be returning to finish your final year here with us! Registrations have now begun, and we are sending you this letter to confirm your classes and programs. If you wish to change major or minors, enroll or withdraw from programs, or anything else regarding your classes, please contact us with the information below. Your set classes for now are also below._

**_New_ ** _! Finish your major abroad! Now offering courses on four continents, over twenty languages, and in over fifty majors!_ _  
_

_Kim Jongdae_

_Major- Classical Studies_

_Year- Final_   


 

The letter, from his university, went on to list his credits and what he had completed and what he needed to complete in order to graduate. There was also his dorm arrangements, which he skipped over- he had always roomed with Baekhyun.  
   

Tossing the letter aside, he sighed. His classes were set, and he could easily email his confirmation later.  
   

Despite wanting to travel, he had no interest in the abroad program- it seemed like too much of a hassle to him.   
   

In his second year, Minseok was planning to do the abroad program, but decided not to after he heard about some girl who had done an abroad program and died while overseas.  
   

He left the mail where it was, figuring Minseok knew what to do with it and where he wanted it and moved over to the sofa, wrapping the comforter he had taken off of Minseok’s bed around himself and started a new season of the show he was watching.  
   

A beautiful way to spend his summer.  
  
~•~   


“Let me guess.” Minseok announced, pushing the screen door open. Jongdae was wrenched from his mini drama world and reality greeted him with the jangling of keys and footsteps coming towards him. “You’ve been in that exact position all day.” Minseok came up behind him, leaning over the back of the sofa and wrapping his arms around his neck, planting a kiss on his cheek.  
   

“Mhm.” Jongdae hummed in confirmation, not moving his eyes from the screen.   
   

“You watch too much television.” Minseok said. “Did you even eat lunch? Sorry I couldn’t make it in for lunch today. Did you get my text? Did you even look at it?”  
   

“I did, Min.” Jongdae told him.   
   

“Then why didn’t you text back?”  
   

“I did, Min.”  
   

“I didn’t get anything.”  
   

Jongdae sighed and leaned over and picked up the remote and paused his show, and handed his blanket off to Minseok to search for his phone, which he found between the couch cushions. “See, Min?” Jongdae said. “Look.” He shoved his phone in Minseok’s face as he pulled up the texts.  
   

“Dumbass!” Minseok cried, snatching his phone out of his hand and ditching the blanket onto the sofa. “You sent this to Baekhyun!” he flashed the phone back in Jongdae’s face. “See what I mean? You’re too attached to the television.” he laughed.  
   

“Minnie! It’s your fault for texting me when they were just about to kiss!” Jongdae cried, and Minseok tossed him his phone back.  
   

“Did you get the note I left this morning?” Minseok asked, walking away and making his way into the kitchen.  
   

“I did, Min.” Jongdae said. “And I did the chores.”  
   

Minseok regarded the table with the mail littered on it, and the sink with the dishes Jongdae hastily did a half hour before Minseok was due to be home.  
   

“First time for everything.” Minseok muttered as he picked up the numerous different letters, reading what they were for as Jongdae found his spot on the sofa again, ignoring his comment.  
   

He always did the chores Minseok left him. Okay, he forgot to set out food for the stray cat once, but it was one time!  
   

“Are you applying?” Minseok asked after a moment.  
   

“Hm?”  
   

“Applications came for you.” Minseok said. “You opened the letter.”  
   

“Oh yeah.” Jongdae muttered, once again glued to the television. “No, I’m not applying. No point, Min.”  
   

“I know you want to travel, though.” Minseok continued, his voice laced with something Jongdae couldn’t place his thumb on. Nervousness? Indifference? Confusion? “It’ll be good for you. And it’s only a year.”  
   

“Min, I wouldn’t be able to survive anywhere I went.” Jongdae argued. “I’d die of starvation or end up getting locked up.”  
   

“I would teach you before you left.”  
   

“Min! You said that with English and look at me now. And Chinese. And Japanese.”  
   

“Because you didn’t pay attention to anything I taught you!”  
   

“Min, I wanted to know the important stuff. Survival phrases.”  
   

“Curse words are not survival phrases, Jongdae.”  
   

“You say that now, Min, but just you wait.”  
   

Minseok sighed. “My point is, Dae, is that you should apply. It’ll only be a year, and it’ll be good for you. I think with your major it’ll really benefit you and be a good experience.”  
   

Jongdae groaned and paused his show again, turning around the face Minseok. “What’s up with you, Min? Why do you want me to do this so bad? You didn’t.”  
   

“And that’s why I’m saying you should.”  
   

“And I’m saying I don’t want to, Min. Just drop it.” Jongdae turned back around, rolling his eyes when his back was faced to Minseok.  
   

“We’ll use the dice. Seven or higher-“  
   

“ _Min_ .”   
   

“Jongdae, please.” Minseok pleaded.  
  

“What’s your problem, Min?” Jongdae demanded, turning back around. “Is the program that desperate for joiners? Is there something you’re not telling me, Minseok?”  
   

Minseok stood in the kitchen, Jongdae’s applications letter clutched in his hand. His face displayed racking nerves, as if he was confessing to a crime he didn’t mean to commit.  
   

“There’s something I need to tell you, Jongdae.” he said softly, averting his gaze from Jongdae’s.  
   

“Min?”  
   

Minseok sighed, fidgeting with the letter in his hand. “I...” he allowed himself to trail off, bit his lip and shifted around.


	37. [PURPLE] XII / Everything Is Better When I'm With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Sexual references; strong language

_ -Day 32; Tuesday, July 11th, 2017- _

**galaxykris🌟** : I’m bored come over + do smth with me

**luluhanxi7** : can’t 

**luluhanxi7** : in China

**galaxykris🌟** : swim

**doritao** : luhan doesn’t know how to swim r u kiddin me

**luluhanxi7** : um excuse me I do

**doritao** : never seen u do it tho 🤔🤔

**galaxykris🌟** : welcome to buzzfeed unsolved

**luluhanxi7** : welcome to your tape

**galaxykris🌟** : HOLLUP I WAS KIDDIN

**luluhanxi7** : 🖕🏽🖕🏽

**galaxykris🌟** : okay but I’m bored and as my friends you all need to entertain me   
**luluhanxi7** : y don’t you go suck Junmyeon’s dicc or smth    
**doritao** : he’s looking for smth he hasn’t done today LuLu smh   
**galaxykris🌟** : he’s @ work anyways so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯    
**luluhanxi7** : the struggle    
**doritao** : poor muffin    
**luluhanxi7** : look up things to do when you’re bored or smth   
**galaxykris🌟** : Junmyeon and I keep this place practically spotless I’ve done all the spontaneous cleaning and packing and reorganizing I can   
**galaxykris🌟** : we don’t need any groceries or anything and myeon says if I buy something out of pure boredom again he’ll push me out the window    
**luluhanxi7** : he’s been threatening that for like a month now    
**galaxykris🌟** : I know but he will he deadass will he’s come close to a few times already    
**galaxykris🌟** : I grabbed his ass and he almost did    
**luluhanxi7** : okay but was it worth it   
**galaxykris🌟** : yes very   
**galaxykris🌟** : he has a really nice ass just as nice as his eyes   
**doritao** : please turn the raging homosexuality off it’s disrupting my peaceful asexuality    


 

Kris Wu tossed his phone aside, his legs dangling over the side of the sofa and his head resting on the armrest of the other. He allowed his left arm to hang, brushing the floor.   


The television played in the background, some show Kris had no interest in. It was a rerun from earlier in the day, anyways.   


Ever since Kim Junmyeon started working, away for most of the day, Kris was so incredibly bored and running out of things to do.    


On weekends and when Junmyeon wasn’t working, it seemed like the exact opposite- he couldn’t find the time to do everything he wanted to do.   


The days he had left with Junmyeon were becoming shorter, and the time he had left to complete his investigation dwindled, too.    


When Kris had found out over a month ago that he didn’t have much time left with Junmyeon, he started his investigation, wanting to find out everything he and Junmyeon could possibly do and do it all.   


He had dragged Junmyeon to some odd places, like a forest in the middle of the night (they both ended up leaving after they had heard some sort of animal and Kris ran away screaming), sketchy places of town (they both vowed never to go again after someone tried to forcibly tattoo something on Junmyeon), and a small natural pool he had found that had a waterfall spilling into it (they both again left after Junmyeon almost drowned after getting caught underneath the falls).    


He still had a list of places he wanted to take him, and Junmyeon had somehow agreed to go out with him again the next day.   


Kris didn’t understand why Junmyeon kept agreeing to go out places with him when they both kept almost dying wherever they went.    


Kris was happy nonetheless, as he loved spending this time with Junmyeon. It took his mind off of the short amount of time he had left with him.   


It took his mind off of the nerves that clawed away at him of having to tell Junmyeon that he was leaving, and the gnawing guilt of what he had to do, no matter how much he wanted the outcome to change.   
  
~•~   
  


“Why do we always go places at night?” Kim Junmyeon asked, his hand over his eyes and leaned back in the passenger seat as if he were going to fall asleep.   


“Because everything is better at night.” Kris replied.   


“We’re more likely to die at night.” Junmyeon shot back.   


“There’s less people.”   


“Which makes us a bigger target.”   


“It’s prettier.”   


“Harder to see.”   


“You’re never free during the day.”   


“It’s not my fault people don’t need counselling at 3am.”   


“It’s not even midnight yet.”   


“I think I see the sun coming up.”   


“The sun just went down.”   


“Where are we going anyways? You haven’t even told me.”   


“Oh, my dear Kim Junmyeon. You’re in for the night of your life.”   


“And where may the night of my life be taking place?”   


“Ever heard of Yongma Land?” Kris asked.   


Junmyeon nodded behind his hand. “Yeah. A kid I knew in elementary lived near it. We all said it was haunted.”   


“Well, tonight you find out if elementary-you was correct.”   


“If I die, give all my money to charity.”   
  
~•~   
  


“This place is fucking creepy.” Junmyeon whispered, closing the car door behind him.    


“You mean fucking wicked.” Kris corrected, popping the trunk of his car. “Come here and take some stuff for me.”   


“You brought stuff?” Junmyeon asked, walking over. He had his arms wrapped tightly around himself as if he cold, but still stood in a plain blue tee shirt, leaving the grey zip up sweater tied around his waist.   


“The usual.” Kris told him, handing him a duffel bag. He rifled through the trunk, pulling a first aid kit from the back of the trunk and handing it off to Junmyeon, who slipped it into the bag. “This is for you.” Kris tosses Junmyeon a small yellow canister, who caught it close to his chest.   


“Pepper spray?” Junmyeon questioned. Kris closed the trunk and took the bag back from Junmyeon, nodding.   


“After the run in with Tattoo Johnny down on Skid Row, I figured it’d come in handy.” Kris slung the duffel over his shoulder, opened it, and ruffled through it. “That and I couldn’t find any Swiss Army knives.” he pulled out two flashlights and handed one off to Junmyeon.   


“What else do you have in the bag of yours, Paddington?” Junmyeon asked as the two began to make their way into the park (which, as expected, was abandoned).   


“Like I said, the usual.” Kris said. “Pens, notebook, the camera- with extra batteries and film this time- bandages, forensics kit, the flashlights, and now the first aid kit.” As he spoke, he pulled each item out, as if proving to Junmyeon he wasn’t lying.   


“And what is our purpose of being here tonight?”   


“We’re exploring, of course.”   


“Of course.” Junmyeon muttered. “How could I be so oblivious to this.”   


“Junmyeon, look.” Kris called to him after wandering around the park for a few moments.    


“Hm?” Junmyeon asked, walking over.   


“Look.” Kris shone his flashlight on the backside of one of the horses attached to the carousel.    


Junmyeon took a moment, wiping his glasses off on the end of his shirt, and then peering closer at the substance dripping down the back of the pony.   


“Oh my lord.” Junmyeon whispered. “Is that...”   


“Blood?” Kris filled in, holding a cotton swab up. “Yes. Yes it is. And it’s fresh, too.”   


“Oh my god.” Junmyeon said, still whispering. “That means someone’s dying. We’re gonna be next!”   


“No one’s dying.” Kris reassured. “It’s probably just a snagged animal or something.”   


Junmyeon didn’t say anything, but stayed close to Kris, sweeping the area with his flashlight while Kris packed his things away.   


“I think I hear something.” Junmyeon whispered, shining his flashlight into the brush behind the fence, which Kris had his back to.   


“It’s probably just an animal.” Kris told him. “I want a picture. Stand by the horse.”   


“That you just found blood on? No way.” Junmyeon argued, crossing his arms. He still kept his flashlight trained on the fence.    


“Pick a different horse, then.”   


“Krissy, I think I see something.” Junmyeon said, tugging on Kris’ sleeve.   


“For the last time, Junmyeon, it's just an animal.” Kris told him, digging his camera out of the bag and backing up a few steps.   


“No, Kris. There’s definitely something out there.”   


“Stay still, I’ll get some sort of candid shot or something.”   


And just as Kris snapped the lens, Junmyeon screamed, running off of the carousel and making a mad dash for the other side of the carousel.   


“Junmyeon!” Kris yelled, and then looked behind him, screaming and running after Junmyeon.   


They both didn’t know what it was. It was tall, taller than them both of them, and large. It barely made a sound, but if they were both quiet, they could just hear a faint moan.   


“Why are we hiding?” Kris whispered. Both men were crouched behind the carousel, trying their best to conceal themselves. “Let’s just leave.”   


“What if it follows us?” Junmyeon asked, facing Kris. “Pepper spray it.”   


“You.” Kris argued.   


“You do it.”   


“You’re the one who wants to pepper spray it.”   


“You’re the one who brought us here.”   


“You’re the one who spotted it.”   


“You’re the one who brought the pepper spray. And you’re taller. Do it.”   


Kris sighed, rolling his eyes. “I swear to God, Kim Junmyeon.” he straightened himself up, peering over the horses. “I don’t even see it anymore. I think we’re good.” He crouched back down and faced a silent, paled, wide-eyed Junmyeon. “What?”   


“Behind you.” Junmyeon whispered. Kris looked back, and there was the Thing, and both men watched as it slowly reached out and laid its hand on Kris’ shoulder.   


Kris slowly turned to face Junmyeon, letting out a silent sob. As the Thing’s grip on Kris’ shoulder tightened, he turned around harshly and fired the pepper spray, hoping it was the right way and he wasn’t accidentally hitting Junmyeon instead.   


The Thing released its grip on Kris, and Kris grabbed Junmyeon’s hand, pulling him up, and they both went running across the fairground, half-running half-stumbling like drunkards.   


They exited the way they came, and both quickly climbed into the car.   


“Go, go!” Junmyeon shouted as Kris fumbled with his keys, and eventually sped out of the dusting parking, and peeled down the road. “Is this even the right way?” Junmyeon questioned when they had put a fair bit of distance between them and the park, and Kris had begun to slow down to a normal speed.   


“I’ll circle us back around so we don’t have to pass it.” Kris said, and then felt the back of Junmyeon’s hand across his shoulder.   


“I told you!” Junmyeon cried. “I told you we were going to die! This is the second time I’ve almost died on these trips with you! Never again!”   


Kris laughed, reaching over and grabbing Junmyeon’s arm. “Myeonie, it’s fine.” he said. “Besides, I got a great photo of you. Look.” As he drove he reached into the backseat and grabbed the duffel bag, dropping it in Junmyeon’s lap.   


Junmyeon dug the camera out of the bag, flipping through the photos until he came across the photo from only a few minutes ago.    


Displayed on the screen, caught in the flare from the flash, was a semi-blurry Junmyeon, mid-sob/scream.   


“You better not show anyone this.” Junmyeon said, annoyed. He shoved the camera back into Kris’ bag.   


“You know those photos are my eyes only.” Kris said nonchalantly.   


“Oh my god!” Junmyeon cried. “You made that sound like you were gonna ja-”

“You know I total-”   


“Shut up.”   


“You know they really-”   


“I said shut up!”   


“When I look at them I feel-”   


“Shutupshutupshutup-”   


“They make me wan-”   


“I said shut up, you ass!” Junmyeon cried, half laughing as he hit Kris on the back of the head.    


Kris laughed too, continuing to pester Junmyeon the entire way home.   


“Okay, but what even was that thing?”  Junmyeon asked as Kris dropped the duffel bag on the kitchen table after the two had arrived home.   


“Beats me.” Kris said, shrugging.    


“All I know is that I won’t be able to sleep tonight.” Junmyeon laughed.   


Kris closed the few steps of distance between him and Junmyeon, wrapping his arms around his waist from behind and burying his face into the crook of his neck. “I’m sorry.” he mumbled, his eyes closed as Junmyeon leaned into him. “I’ll stay up with you all night.”   


Junmyeon sighed and turned around, running his hand through Kris’ hair. “No such luck, Jackie.” he said, pressing his lips to the other boy’s as he let his hand rest on the back of his neck. “I have to be up for eight.” he muttered against his lips.   


Kris risked a glance behind him at the digital clock displayed on the stove top, which confidently read half past one. “You can perhaps get a good six hours?” he questioned. “That’s not bad.”   


“Carry me.” Junmyeon whined, throwing more of his weight against Kris.   


“You’re a big baby, you know that, right?” Kris said, feigning annoyance and scooping Junmyeon up by the legs and tossing him over his shoulder, resulting in a shout from the other boy.   


“Not like that!” Junmyeon protested.   


“How else, then?” Kris questioned. “Bridal style? You’re too tall and fat to carry bridal style.” He allowed a small smile to tug at his lips, knowing Junmyeon wouldn’t be able to see.   


“Hey! If any of us is the fat one here, it’s you.” Junmyeon protested again.   


“First of all, I found your secret stash of junk food, Mister.” Kris scoffed, throwing Junmyeon down onto the bed. “And second of all, stop touching my ass.”   


Moving over in the bed so there was enough room for Kris, Junmyeon pouted. “That’s my ass to touch whenever I want. And that’s what you get for grabbing mine the other day.”   


“It’s your fault your ass is so grabbable.”   


“Is that even a word?” Junmyeon questioned, leaning over and attaching his lips to Kris’ yet again.   


“Is now.”   


“Good night, Kris.”   


“Good night, Kim Junmyeon.” Kris said as the boy situated himself against him, leaning his head against his shoulder as Kris wrapped his arms around him.   


Kris often found himself in the same bed with Junmyeon, even though he technically had his own across the hall. Kris felt that he slept better when he was with Junmyeon, liking the warmth Junmyeon provided despite the small shin kicks he often received in the night.   


Junmyeon, however, did not sleep as well as Kris did. Kris wasn’t sure if it was because of him, or if it was a regular occurrence, but Junmyeon often suffered from what he described as ‘hauntingly surreal’ nightmares.   


The smaller boy often woke up in the night in a cold sweat, trying to catch his breath. On the worst of occasions, which Kris had the liberty of only witnessing once, Junmyeon would awake to the wave of sickness his dreams caused.   


Sometimes Kris would wake before Junmyeon could jolt himself awake, and he would attempt to wake him, usually resulting in better post-dream symptoms and being able to fall back asleep easier. Other times Kris woke to Junmyeon waking, jolting upright in the bed, wheezing to catch his breath, or clambering over his legs.   


Junmyeon never wanted to talk about his dreams, and Kris didn't know if it was because he was too embarrassed, confused, or tired to share, or if he didn’t share purely because he didn’t want to think of whatever he kept seeing.   


What Kris did know, besides them being so horrible and graphic that Junmyeon emptied his stomach, was that Junmyeon found them not coming so often and as bad when he slept with Kris, and he always fell back asleep.   


That’s another reason as of why Kris began taking Junmyeon to sketchy, scary places for his investigation.    


He had read once in a textbook of Huang Zitao’s once that if the brain was wired to imagine something one way, you could often shock it into preventing that thought by replaying the events in real life.   


However, Kris never really knew what exactly happened in Junmyeon’s dreams, so he did what he could.   


Of course, the theory could also be the other way around.   


Kris was never very good at remembering things.   
  


 

Meanwhile, back at Yongma near the carousel, three teenage boys and a girl sat, laughing so hard their sides hurt.   


“Did you see his face?” one boy asked between fits of laughter. “He looked like he was about to cry!”   


“The shoulder thing you did was great.” the girl chimed in.   


“Cut yourself some slack, Yerim.” a second boy said, hitting her playfully on the shoulder. “It was your idea for the blood.”   


“Poor guy really thinks he found something, huh?” the girl said, frowning.   


The first boy shrugged, the third laying his head in his lap. “The girl who thought she found Bigfoot is still my favourite.” he said as he reached down and played with his hair.   


“I still want to find that girl and be friends with her.” the second boy muttered.   


The girl made a face. “The boys we ran into tonight looked like losers. I wouldn’t want to be friends with them. The tall one was fooled by fake blood and the second looked like he tries to solve science theories in his spare time.”   


The third boy eventually fell asleep, allowing the playful voices and taunts of his friends lull him to sleep.    


Everything was better when he was with them.


	38. [LIAR] XIII / Lame Liar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; implied sexual references

_-Day 41; Monday, July 10th, 2017-_

Despite being back home with his own family, Park Chanyeol still took the drive over to Bucheon a few times a week to see Byun Baekhyun.  
   

What he did on his visits ranged- sometimes he simply sat in the hospital with Baekhyun, holding his hand while he waited for Byun Woohyun to wake. Other times he took Baekhyun back to Seoul with him, where he would stay with him and they would walk the streets of the city, Chanyeol buying Baekhyun treats he asked for. There were times when Chanyeol would see Baekhyun’s parents again, and times where it was just the two of them.  
   

Today, however, Chanyeol was alone in Seoul.   
   

By the time he dragged himself out of bed, it was almost past noon, and his older sister of three years, Park Mieun, was seated at the kitchen table, snacking on something Chanyeol didn’t bother to pay attention to while scrolling through her phone.  
   

“Mail came for you.” Mieun said through a mouthful as Chanyeol rummaged through the fridge. He may get up early to cook for Baekkie, but when it came to himself he considered a box of crackers a meal.  
   

“Good morning to you too.” Chanyeol muttered, closing the fridge door after coming to the conclusion that his family was out of food (and by out of food he means nothing he particularly felt like eating at that moment). “Who’s it from?”  
   

Mieun shrugged while Chanyeol seated himself at the table, dragging Mieun’s bowl away from her and towards himself. She had managed to finish the majority of it, having nothing but a grape stalk and a few strays laying in the bottom of the bowl. “Didn’t check.”  
   

Helping himself to the last few grapes, deeming that a healthy breakfast, Chanyeol reached for the letter.  
   

It was addressed to him, sent from his university.  
   

 _Oh joy._ _  
_    

Chanyeol slipped his finger under the envelope, ripping it open in tiny intervals all the way across until he could dump the contents out, which was just a folded piece of paper.

 

 _Park Chanyeol,_ _  
_ _We are delighted to know you will be returning to finish your fourth year here with us! Registrations have now begun, and we are sending you this letter to confirm your classes and programs. If you wish to change major or minors, enroll or withdraw from programs, or anything else regarding your classes, please contact us with the information below. Your set classes for now are also below._

 **_New_ ** _! Finish your major abroad! Now offering courses on four continents, over twenty languages, and in over fifty majors!_ _  
_    

 

The letter went on the list his current year, major, and dorm arrangements (once again, he was roomed with Do Kyungsoo).  
   

He pushed the letter away from him, putting his face in his hands and whining. He then stood up, overturning the chair as he did so, which caused him to let out another groan.  
   

“What?” Mieun asked, reaching over and grabbing the letter. “Find out you’re getting put down or something? It’s about time.” She looked the letter over while Chanyeol raided the pantry, eventually pulling out a jar of Nutella. He grabbed a spoon, sighed as he uprighted his chair, and sank back into it, twisting the top off and shoving a spoonful into his mouth.  
   

“Don’t judge me.” he grumbled once Mieun shot him a look. She shrugged and laid the letter on the table, taking the spoon out of Chanyeol’s hands and helping herself.

 

“Are you actually going to stick to a major this year?”   
   

“I don’t know.” Chanyeol whined, pouting.

 

“You took what last year?”  
   

“Music. But Business my first two years.”  
   

“I say continue on with Business. You can do more with it. You can go into music with it, too- be a CEO of an entertainment company or a manger or something.”  
   

“But I wanna _make_ music, not watch others.”   
   

“Do both. Like that JYP guy.” Mieun waved the spoon around as she spoke, and Chanyeol reached over and grabbed it back from her.  
   

“My worry is that I won’t make money in the music industry, though.” Chanyeol pouted.  
   

“Worse comes to worse, you live in the basement.”  
   

“Wow, thank you for your uplifting words.” Chanyeol remarked, rolling his eyes. “I feel enlightened. My skin is clear.”  
   

Mieun laughed, taking the spoon back. “Why don’t you try the abroad program?” she suggested. “Go for business as a major and music as a minor. You can do a lot in a year with the abroad program- my friend went to Finland for a year and finished her entire degree. She was a second year.” Mieun stood up, screwing the lid onto the jar and ditching the spoon into the sink despite her brother’s protests.  
   

“I don’t know where I’d want to go, though.” Chanyeol muttered, laying his head down in his arms on the table.   
   

“Go somewhere with a large music business and economy. Like the States.”  
   

“Can’t I do that here?”  
   

“Yeah, but you’ll be graduating university at past thirty.”  
   

Mieun leaned against the sink, her arms crossed. “Chanyeol, as your older sister, and legal guardian if our parents die-”  
   

“I’m twenty-five years old. I can care for myself.”  
   

“The entire jar of Nutella you just tried to consume for breakfast at almost one in the afternoon begs to differ.”  
   

“Legally, I mean.”  
   

“I’ll still be your technical guardian.” Mieun said. “Anyways, because I’m older than you and I know what’s best for you, do the abroad program, and take business as a major and music as a minor. It’ll be a good experience and save your indecisive ass.”  
   

“I’ll think about it.” Chanyeol mumbled, sitting up and slumping in his chair. “I don’t know if I want to leave.”  
   

“It’s a year, Chanyeol. I won't abandon you after a year. Mom and Dad may, though. You’ll have to come back for the holidays so they don’t forget about you.”  
   

“It’s not that.”  
   

“What?” Mieun gave him another accusative look, raising her eyebrows. “Got your eye on a girl or something? Afraid she’ll leave you for someone better-looking than you?”  
   

Chanyeol scoffed. “No.” Although Yeol had an entire fleet of reasons, a girl wasn’t one, although it did come close to hitting one of his ships.  
   

“What’s her name?” Mieun taunted, leaning forward onto the table. “Does she go to your school?”  
   

“Lay off, would you?” Chanyeol snapped, standing up. “I don’t go asking about your boyfriend, do I?”  
   

“See, Chanyeol, the difference between you and I is that I can actually get, keep, and have a boyfriend. I’ve never seen you with someone.” Mieun pushed herself up from the table, folding her arms across her chest again. Despite being shorter than Chanyeol, she held quite an air of authority over him.  
   

“Are you saying I’m not in a relationship?” Chanyeol accused.  
   

“Of course I am. What else would I be saying? The moon landing was faked?”  
   

“I totally am in one.” Chanyeol pouted, like a little kid trying to lie their way through something.  
   

“Yeah? What’s her name, then?”  
   

“Byun Baekhyun.” Chanyeol threw, and then turned on his heel and made his way down the hall, intent on returning to his room.  
   

“Sounds fake.” Mieun called, and Chanyeol came storming back around the corner, matching Mieun’s crossed arms.   
   

“Are you saying Baekhyun’s not real?”  
   

“Sounds like you just twisted that one singer’s name. Baek A Yeon, is it?”  
   

“I swear, Baekhyun is very real. Why would I lie to you?”  
  

“To try and prove me wrong?”  
   

“What can I do to prove that Baekhyun’s real, then?”  
   

“Introduce me to this Baekhyun then.” Mieun shot him another one of her raised eyebrow looks.  
   

“Fine then.” Chanyeol said, making his way over to the door. “I’ll bring him here.”  
   

“That won’t be necessary.” Mieun laughed, following him as he changed his shoes. “I’ll be coming with you. Can’t give you a chance to rope one of your friends into this, can I?”  
   

“Fine. But I pick the music.”  
   

“We’ll see about that.” Mieun said, pushing past him and out the door, and Chanyeol grabbed his keys, rolling his eyes behind her back.  
  
~•~   


“Byun Baekhyun!” Chanyeol called, rapping harshly on a certain boy’s front door. “It’s Chanyeol!”  
   

The door opened, and Byun Baekhyun’s mother stood on the other side. “Chanyeol!” she exclaimed, reaching forward and grabbing his face, kissing him on the cheek. “What brings you here? Who’s this?” she asked after spotting Mieun, eyeing her.  
   

“This is my sister, Mieun.” Chanyeol said, gesturing to her.  
   

“ _Older_ sister.” Mieun emphasized, greeting Baekhyun’s mother.   
   

“She’s convinced Baekhyun isn’t real.” Chanyeol continued, earning himself a slap on the arm from Mieun. “Hey!” he yelled, grabbing his arm, and Mieun shot him another look.  
   

“Sometimes I wish Baekhyun wasn’t real.” his mother joked, ushering the both of them in. “It’d save me a lot of time and money. Anyways, he’s in his room. Help yourself if you’re hungry.”  
   

She returned to whatever she was doing before they showed up, and Chanyeol walked over to the pantry, pulling out a box of cookies.  
   

“You just had a jar of Nutella.” Mieun commented.  
   

“These aren’t just for me.” Chanyeol retorted, making his way down the hall to Baekhyun’s room, where he knocked softly on the closed door. “Baekkie? It’s Chanyeol. Can I come in?”  
   

“Don’t turn on the light.” Byun Baekhyun called from the other side of the door, and Chanyeol pushed it open carefully, allowing the light to spill into the otherwise pitch dark room.  
   

“I brought cookies.” Chanyeol said, holding them up. Mieun slipped into the room behind them, and Baekhyun, who sat with his laptop in his lap and blankets wrapped around him in bed moved over to make room for Chanyeol, who sat beside him.  
   

“These are from my house.” Baekhyun said, peering at the cookies. “You got them right as you came in here.”  
   

“Hey, it’s the thought that counts.” Chanyeol argued, setting them down on the bed. “Anyways, Baekkie, this is my sister, Mieun.” He once again gestured to her as he introduced her for a second time. “She’s convinced you’re not real.”  
   

While Chanyeol spoke, Baekhyun fiddled with the box of cookies, peeling back the top. Once he had finished speaking, Baekhyun held the cookie in the air, freezing as he was about to take a bite. “So you’re telling me that you came all the way out here- _made me pause my show_ \- just to prove to your sister that I was real?” Baekhyun asked, as if in disbelief.   
   

Chanyeol nodded.  
   

Baekhyun hit Chanyeol on the arm, dropping the cookie and yelling. “Really? And you told my mom that?”  
   

Chanyeol clutched his arm, and shot Baekhyun a look. “Yes! Exactly that!”  
   

“You’re fucking stupid, Park Chanyeol.” Baekhyun spat, situating himself in his bed again. “Why didn’t you just call me? Show her a photo?”  
   

“I would’ve called him a liar.” Mieun piped up, walking closer to the two of them.   
   

“Well, I can tell you that I’m very real.” Baekhyun said, waving his arm about for emphasis. “Now, are you convinced enough or may I go back to my show now? Jongdae is already on season three and I need to catch up to him.” He gestured to his laptop as he spoke.   
   

“I still think he’s some friend you’ve roped into this.” Mieun remarked, hitting Chanyeol lightly on the shoulder. “Drive me home.”  
   

Baekhyun leaned over, grabbed Chanyeol’s face in his hands, and pressed his lips to his. Chanyeol wasted no time in kissing the boy back, wrapping one arm around his shoulders and laying the other on his chest.   
   

Forgetting everything, Chanyeol was immediately submerged in the feeling of Baekhyun’s soft lips against his, Baekhyun’s warm skin against his touch, Baekhyun’s beautiful hands against his cheeks, submerged in the feeling that was Byun Baekhyun, the one and only, _his_ one and only.   
   

After a moment, Baekhyun released himself from Chanyeol and turned to Mieun. “Convinced?” He asked under his breath.  
   

“Gross, but yes.” Mieun commented, and then tugged on Chanyeol’s arm. “Now come on, drive me home.”  
   

“Gross?” Baekhyun questioned, gaining a defensive tone. Chanyeol had never seen Baekhyun like this before- so agitated, picking everything apart. “What? Is it because we’re two men?”  
   

“No.” Mieun protested, matching Baekhyun’s tone. Chanyeol was used to seeing Mieun like that, as she had always regarded him like that, as if his very existence was her biggest pet peeve (which, to be honest, probably was). “It’s gross because that’s my brother. You know, when he was little he used to-“  
   

“Okay, that’s enough!” Chanyeol said, getting up from the bed and pushing Mieun back. “Time to leave.”  
   

“Awe, come on Yeollie.” Baekhyun said, pouting at Chanyeol. “You came all the way out here to leave so soon? You know you’re both welcome to stay as long as you want.”  
   

“I actually do have to be home.” Mieun said, jutting out a hip and placing a hand on it. “I’m going out at like, four.”  
   

“Take the car and I’ll get a cab or something.” Chanyeol said.   
   

“Fine, but I’m not paying cab fare.” Mieun remarked.  
   

“Didn’t expect you to.” Chanyeol told her, and then turned to Baekhyun. “I’ll be right back.”  
   

“I’ll be watching my show!” Baekhyun called, and Chanyeol walked Mieun to the door, digging his keys out and handing them to his sister.   
   

“Leaving already?” Mrs. Byun asked, re-appearing in the hallway. “Why don’t you two stay for dinner? Baekhyun has an appointment at three, but Mieun looks responsible enough not to trash the place.”   
   

Chanyeol opened his mouth to retort back, but Baekhyun’s mother shot him a look, as if threatening to pull out a list of everything he’s accidentally broken in his visits, and that doesn’t count the marks on the walls from accidentally running into them all the time.  
   

“Just me, ma’am.” Mieun said politely. “I have plans for four.”  
   

Mrs. Byun gave her a look of understanding, and walked over to hold the door open for her. “If you ever find yourself back in the area, you’re always welcome here.” She turned to Chanyeol. “I’m assuming you’re staying?”  
   

“Yes, ma’am.”  
   

Mrs. Byun and Mieun quickly bid each other goodbye, and Chanyeol was promptly shooed off to Baekhyun’s room.  
   

“So, what are we watching?” Chanyeol asked, re-entering Baekhyun’s room and shutting the door behind him. He sidled back into the bed beside Baekhyun, who placed his laptop between them and cuddled up against him.  
   

“Some show Dae dragged me into.” Baekhyun muttered. “Minseok’s _Netflix_ is American or something so he gets all the English shows. We have no idea what they’re saying but it seems pretty funny to me. I just laugh when they insert the canned laughter.”  
   

“Is there no subtitles?”  
   

“Yeah, there is. They just go by really fast so I only get like, half of what they’re saying.”  
   

“You’ve never taken an English lesson?”  
   

“I have, I just don’t remember anything. I barely remember what I learned last year. I forget it all once I leave my exam.”  
   

“How the fuck are you going to graduate?”  
   

“By bullshitting my way through everything so much it’s believable.”  
   

“Byun Baekhyun, you truly are an inspiration.”  
   

“Why thank you. Now shut up- I can’t talk and read subtitles at the same time.” Baekhyun reached up and placed his hand over Chanyeol’s mouth, prohibiting him from talking.  
   

A little while later, Baekhyun’s mother opened the door, sticking her head in. “Baekhyun.” she barked. “Time to go.”  
   

“For what?” Baekhyun asked, squinting through the light his mother allowed in.  
   

“You have a therapist appointment at three.” she frowned. “I told you this morning.”  
   

“Oh.” Baekhyun muttered, lowering his gaze. “I must have forgot.”  
   

Chanyeol noticed that ever since his accident, Baekhyun forgot things much easier. He knew that the doctor said it was temporary and his memory would be back to normal soon, and Chanyeol also knew that Baekhyun hated forgetting everything, but wanted to remember everything as if he led a perfect, normal life. Stronger than he did now.  
   

So that’s why Chanyeol began feeding him lies.  
   

Little lies. Ones that wouldn’t affect him much.   
   

Chanyeol altered conversations a little, making it seem like Baekhyun got more out of it than he really did. He altered book and movie plots, giving everyone happy endings. He told Baekhyun tales of things they had done where his memory gaps were larger, making it seem like they went out all the time. Chanyeol liked to think that this was helping Baekhyun be more social and get out of the house more.  
   

However, Chanyeol kept the fundamentals of everything- when and how they met, how long they had been together, what Baekhyun had done after his accident.  
   

Baekhyun never asked about details in their relationship, and Chanyeol wasn’t sure if this was because he remembered or didn’t want to know or ask. Chanyeol didn’t want to bring it up. Although Baekhyun was his secret that was slowly making its way out into the world, he didn’t know whether they should make it public or still keep it secret.  
   

“I’ll take him.” Chanyeol offered, pushing himself up from the bed. “I just need the address.”  
   

“Are you sure?” Baekhyun’s mother asked, and Chanyeol nodded.  
   

“I don’t mind.”  
   

“Didn’t your sister take the car?” Baekhyun asked quietly. He kept his head down, not looking at either Chanyeol or his mother.   
   

“He can use ours.” Mrs. Byun provided. “Are you okay with that, Baekkie?”  
   

Baekhyun nodded.   
  
~•~   


_/Baekhyun/_

“So, Baekhyun.” his therapist, Kim Yoojin, started. She moved some papers around on the table in front of her. “How have you been?”  
   

Baekhyun liked his therapist. When he first started seeing her a few weeks ago, he was a little scared of her. He found her daunting, despite her being quite friendly and fairly shorter than him. Perhaps it wasn’t exactly _her_ she was scared of, but the new setting and therapy itself.

Baekhyun didn’t think he needed professional therapy. He thought he was fine- he was coping, wasn’t he? But both his mother and his doctor insisted, listing off many reasons why and the benefits of it.  
   

“I’ve been okay.” Baekhyun said quietly. Despite liking his therapist, he still felt very awkward and uncomfortable in her room. He felt small.  
   

“What have you done since I last saw you?” she continued. She lounged back on the red sofa across from him.   
   

Kim Yoojin’s room was an array of colours, insisting that different colours had different impacts on the soul. She had different coloured lights she used for different occasions, and today both her and Baekhyun were bathed in blue light. She hadn’t said her reasoning for that colour yet.  
   

“Not a lot.” Baekhyun admitted. “Jongdae recommended me a new show that I’ve been watching. A few hospital visits. Chaeyoung stopped in today. She took me here today.”  
   

Baekhyun liked his therapist, despite feeling out of place around her. However, when he saw her, they mainly talked about him. All he knew about her besides her name was how long she had been providing people therapy for (a number Baekhyun had already forgotten) and that she was married with a child. She had promised to bring her daughter in one day, saying that interaction with younger children would benefit his healing process.   
   

Baekhyun did not know her points of view and opinions on certain topics, especially on homosexuality. Although he was told it was a judgment-free, accepting and open environment, he did not feel comfortable coming out to her. So he simply changed Chanyeol’s name to Chaeyoung.  
   

He couldn’t remember if he knew a Chaeyoung or not.  
   

It wasn’t a lie. It was protection against him, and a mere change in details. He wasn’t lying. He was protecting himself.  
   

“And how do you feel about Chaeyoung bringing you here?” Yoojin questioned, and Baekhyun shrugged.  
   

“I don’t really care. She’s a better driver than I am.”  
   

“Are you saying because you genuinely think she’s a good driver or because of your accident?”  
   

“A little bit of both.”  
   

“You know your accident wasn’t your fault.” Baekhyun bit his lip, not replying. He had spent much of his first visit telling her how it was his fault. If only he had paid attention.   
   

Still, she insisted it wasn’t his fault. But she wasn’t there. She didn’t see it. She doesn’t know anything.  
   

“How are you and Jongdae doing?” Yoojin continued, moving the session along.  
   

“Good. He’s been careful with what he says around me. Minseok keeps him in check.” Baekhyun had never outright said anything about Jongdae and Minseok’s relationship. He was trying to test the waters with them.  
   

“How have you been feeling?”  
   

“I don’t know.” Baekhyun shrugged. He often gave Yoojin short answers. He didn’t talk much around her. “I’ve been distracted with my new show.”  
   

“And you like the show?” Baekhyun nodded. “You seem to be doing better, Baekhyun.” she commented. She reached forward, attaching a sheet of paper to a clipboard and clicking a pen. “Would you like me to explain the lights to you?”   
   

“Please.” Baekhyun said. He liked hearing about the lights. Not that he cared about them, but it was easier to listen to her than spill all of his secrets to her. Questions she had about the coloured lights were easier to answer than questions about his feelings.  
   

Kim Yoojin got up, walking over to the light switch. “Blue is a relaxing colour.” she said. “It’s used to treat a lot of diseases, and brings a relaxing, quiet, peaceful aura. How does the blue make you feel?”  
   

“Cold.” Baekhyun said.  
   

“Close your eyes. What do you see?”  
   

“Water.” Baekhyun said, promptly shutting his eyes. “Ice.” The blue reminded him of the Arctic. It gave him a cold, hopeless feeling. He related that to Yoojin.  
   

“Open your eyes. How does the red make you feel?” she asked, switching the lights so the blue was slowly overcome with a red.   
   

“Like a lizard.”  
   

Yoojin laughed at his answer. “Red is the colour of warmth and fire, love, life, joy, anger, and wrath. It stimulates blood flow and encourages activity. What colour do you like more? Red or blue?”  
   

“Red.” Baekhyun answered.   
   

“Do you want me to leave the red lights on?” Baekhyun nodded, and Yoojin came and sat down again. “I’m going to ask you some reflection questions now.”   
   

Reflection questions usually happened at the end of each session, and Baekhyun didn’t feel that it was hard to answer these. He preferred the reflection questions over the therapy-small-talk ones. He could also get away with giving smaller answers with these ones.   
   

“How do you feel all of your relationships are doing?” Yoojin started. “Are they strong? Weak? Falling apart? Growing?”  
   

“I think they’re growing.” Baekhyun said, fidgeting around a bit. “I think it may be out of pity, but people seem to care for me more.”  
   

“How do you feel about your accident?” This was a question she asked every time.  
   

“Guilty. It’s my fault it happened. I was careless.” he gave the same answer every time.  
   

“What do you want out of our therapy sessions? When you’re finished, how do you want to feel?” This was also a question she asked every time.  
   

“I want to feel like everything will be okay again.” Another automated answer.   
   

“What part of the accident sticks out to you the most? What part do you remember most?” This was a new question that threw Baekhyun off guard, and he felt a sob rise in his throat. He shakily pushed it back down.  
   

“Watching strange people take my brother away.” Baekhyun muttered.  
   

“Why?”  
   

“I didn’t know who they were. I didn’t know what was wrong with Woohyun. I didn’t know what they were doing with him, where they were taking him.” It was getting hard to breathe; he felt his chest closing up.   
   

Kim Yoojin stood up, walking over a cabinet carefully painted purple. The kind of purple you see used on cartoon grapes and neon lights, the kind of purple trapped at dawn.   
   

Baekhyun liked the purple painted cabinet.  
   

Yoojin opened one of the cabinet drawers, pulled out a box, and dropped the box’s contents on the table in front of Baekhyun, moving her papers.  
   

They were puzzle pieces, and Yoojin propped the puzzle’s picture that was depicted on the box up so Baekhyun could see it.  
   

“Before you leave,” Yoojin instructed, “I’d like you to solve this.”  
   

Baekhyun nodded and looked over at the puzzle’s picture. He pushed down another sob, and shakily picked up a piece.  
   

He had done this puzzle before.   
   

He had done this exact puzzle at Do Kyungsoo’s, the morning after.   
   

With shaking hands, he carefully pieced the puzzle together, purposely leaving out two pieces of the princesses.  
   

When he declared himself finished, Yoojin asked if he wanted a sucker before he left. He happily obliged, and left a few moments later with Chanyeol’s large hands wrapped around his, letting the saccharine candy coat the inside of his lips and roll around his tongue.  
   

Chanyeol said later the constant motion of the candy in Baekhyun’s mouth and the sweet taste it left on his lips was one of the sexiest things Baekhyun had ever done.


	39. [THE LONG GAME] XIII / The Office

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; drug mentions

_ -Day 41; Monday, July 10th, 2017- _

Kim Minseok’s hands trembled as he struggled to find the words to tell Kim Jongdae what was happening.    


He hated having to tell Jongdae. He had been putting it off for about a week.    


He was unable to think straight, his judgment and thoughts clouded by guilt, fear, and worry.    


“Min?” Jongdae asked again. His voice began to waver, peaking and breaking off. “Is everything okay?” he remained on his spot on the sofa, turned around and sitting up on his knees to face Minseok. He didn’t move, as if the daunting news Minseok was about to dump on his shoulders had him frozen in place.   


Minseok knew how that felt.   


“DaeDae, you know I love you.” Minseok started, his breathing becoming heavy and shuddery.   


“Dammit, Min, just tell me already!” Jongdae snapped, his lip quivering. “You’re stressing me out and scaring me!”   


“Jongdae, I’m so sorry.” Minseok sniffed, allowing the tears he held back to spill over, like water gushing out of a broken dam.    


“Minnie.” Jongdae whined, pushing himself up off the sofa and coming closer towards his sobbing boyfriend. “What’s wrong?”   


Minseok took a shaky breath, trying to calm himself enough to speak full, coherent sentences. “It’s only for a year.” he said carefully, still sobbing. He gripped Jongdae’s applications letter tightly in his hands, his hands trembling and causing the letter to shake.    


“Minseok, you need to tell me what’s the matter.” Jongdae said, still matching Minseok’s unstable tone. He reached out to embrace Minseok, hold him close, and as much as Minseok wanted to feel how warm Jongdae was against him, Minseok shied away.   


He couldn’t, not with what he was about to tell Jongdae. It already broke his heart, and it would surely break Jongdae’s. As much as he would miss Jongdae, he felt as if he would be taking advantage of him if he embraced him and felt him now before he told him.   


“Jongdae, I got a job.”    


“I know that, Min.”   


“Not here. It’s in Russia. For a year.” Minseok watched Jongdae’s face fall, his lips turning down and his face contorting. “I’ll be home for the holidays. I’ll leave around the same time you start school again.”   


“How long have you known, Min?” Jongdae said quietly. He kept his gaze down and wrapped his arms around himself.   


“About a week.”   


“And you’re just telling me now, Min?” Jongdae’s head snapped up, any trace of melancholy disappearing and being replaced by a mixture of shock and seemingly outrage.    


“I’m sorry, Jongdae!” Minseok yelled. “Do you know how hard it was for me to tell you that? How hard it is to do that to you?  _ To us? _ I’ve been sitting on this all fucking week! The longer I mulled it over the more guilty I felt! I’m terrified, Jongdae. Terrified of what will happen once I’m there. Of what will happen to you when I’m gone!” Minseok paused for a moment, regaining his breath and composure. “I’m scared you’ll get bored and find someone else while I’m away. I’m scared you’ll be lonely. I’m scared you’ll suffer and struggle because I’m not here to do and show you things. That’s why I wanted to send you away. Not because I don’t care about you or care about the program, but because I thought it’d be easier on you if you went away, too. You’d be distracted and caught up with your own work and studies. The time difference would be shorter, too- Moscow is six hours behind Seoul. But if you went somewhere like Athens, for your major, there’d only be an hour difference.”   


“Oh, Minnie.” Jongdae said, and Minseok was unsure if it was pity or care that laced his voice. He reached out to embrace him again, and this time Minseok let him, dropping the letter to the floor and wrapping his arms tightly around Jongdae. He felt Jongdae’s arms around him, his body pressed against his. “I wish you would have told me sooner.” the younger boy muttered into Minseok’s neck, where he had buried himself. “I’m happy for you, I really am. This is great. It’s just what you wanted, isn’t it?”   


“Yes.” Minseok said, still holding Jongdae tightly. “But not this soon. I wanted to wait until you graduated and bring you with me.”   


Jongdae pulled back, running a hand through Minseok’s hair and bringing it down to rest on his shoulder. “We’ll make it work, Minnie. Don’t worry. One year isn’t going to change eighteen of them.”   


“But it could change a few months.” Minseok pointed out, frowning. “I know you, Dae. You’ll get bored and lonely and find someone else.”   


“Minseok!” Jongdae exclaimed, any pity or care that his voice contained now replaced with pleading and shock. “Don’t think like that. I love you.”   


“You’ve done it before, why wouldn’t you do it again?” Minseok accused, releasing Jongdae and taking a step back.    


Minseok saw all of Jongdae’s relationships, even when he dated Lee Keumjo in his third year of high school. She travelled away for the summer, and he ended up hooking up with Kim Minji and dated her for a few months.   


He was terrified he’d end up like Keumjo, on a different time zone in a different country and completely and utterly heartbroken, knowing that the man they loved was off getting it on with someone else. He didn’t want that. He loved Jongdae too much.   


“Because you’re different, Minseok!” Jongdae cried. “I love you, and when I say it I mean it! Those words don’t give how I feel about you justice! I’m not nearly as good as you when it comes to words, but there’s no way in Tartarus that all the words in the world would be able to describe how I feel about you, Minnie. You mean so fucking much to me, I can’t explain it. I would never leave you, no matter how bored or lonely I may get.” he huffed, crossing his arms.    


“Jongdae, I’ve always loved you.” Minseok stepped closer to Jongdae. “It hurts me to leave you. It’s like leaving half of myself behind.”   


Jongdae closed the distance between them, placing one hand on the back of Minseok’s neck and the other on his chest, pulling him in close and locking his lips in his.   


Minseok was immediately met with the all too familiar taste of sweet candies in Jongdae’s mouth and the feeling of his lips that were beginning to chap pressed against his.    


This is was just one of the things about Jongdae Minseok would miss most.   


~•~

 

“I’m sleeping with you tonight, Min.” Jongdae said, stepping into Minseok’s room later that night, the comforter from his bed wrapped around himself.    


Minseok was stretched out on the bed, the bedside table lamp switched on so he could read underneath it.   


“You’d crawl in anyways, even if I told you no.” Minseok lifted the end of the blankets up and let Jongdae wiggle in underneath. “When was the last time you even slept the whole night in your own bed?”   


Jongdae shrugged underneath the blankets. “Beginning of the summer, maybe?” he guessed, and then shifted closer to Minseok, resting his head on his shoulder. “Cuddle me, Min.”   


Minseok sighed, placing his bookmark into his novel and setting it to the side. He rolled over, wrapping his arms around Jongdae. “Better?”   
  


Jongdae hummed in agreement. “Min? Promise me you’ll still be here when I get up in the morning?”    


“If you get up early enough instead of noon like usual.” Minseok said, kissing his forehead. “You know I have to work tomorrow.”   


“Call in sick tomorrow, Min. Cuddle with me all day.”   


“You know I wish I could, DaeDae.” Minseok kissed the other boy again, on the lips this time. “Unfortunately it doesn’t work like that. I have a big day tomorrow anyways.”   


“Just get me up when you get up, okay Min?”                                                                 

 

Minseok nodded, reaching over and switching off the bedside light. “Now just go to sleep, you little shit.”   
  
~•~   
  


_ /Jongdae/ _

_ -Day 42; Tuesday, July 11th, 2017- _

“Dae.” Minseok whispered, and when Jongdae opened his eyes, the other boy was hovering above him, his hands laid gently on his body. “Dae.”   


“What do you want, Min?” Jongdae moaned, squinting as he struggled to keep his eyes open.   


“You wanted me to wake you when I got up.” Minseok said, leaning off of him. “You can go back to sleep if you want.” He ran his hand through Jongdae’s hair, leaning down and kissing him.   


Jongdae pulled back after a moment, sitting up and rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. Minseok leaned against him, his head on his shoulder. “No, no.” Jongdae told him. “I’m up, Min. I’m up. I want to see you off. Have you eaten?”   


“Not yet.”   


“What time is it, Min?”   


“About seven am.”   


Jongdae groaned. “Why do you have to be up so early, Min?”   


“This is regular time for people, Dae.” Minseok laughed, getting off of him and sliding off of the bed. “What do you want to eat? I’ll make us both something.”   


“I’ll just have whatever you’re having, Min.”   


A few minutes later, Jongdae sat at the small kitchen table, shoving his face with food Minseok had pulled from the fridge. The older boy sat across from him, flipping through his phone and simultaneously sipping from his coffee mug.   


“I love you, Min.” Jongdae said, reaching over and poking Minseok’s hand when he looked up. “How do you say that in Russian?”   


“ _ Ja ne mogu zit’ bez tebja _ .” Minseok said, smiling as he did so.    


“That’s long, Min.” Jongdae whined. “Can you shorten it?”   


“ _ Ja ljublju tebja _ .”   


“I’m never going to remember that, Min.”   


“You don’t have to.” Minseok said. “I’ll remember everything for the both of us.” he leaned across the table, placing his lips on Jongdae. “I have to go now.” he muttered after a moment.    


“Do you have to, Min?” Jongdae whined, following him to the door.   


“You know I have to.” Minseok sighed. “I’ll try and come for lunch, though.”   


“Don’t worry about it.” Jongdae stepped forward and kissed him again. “I know you’re busy, Min.”   


Ever since yesterday, Jongdae had the overwhelming urge to shower his boyfriend in kisses, all over him, all the time. He wanted to be in constant contact with him, always hugging or cuddling or holding his hand or running his hands through his hair and down his chest and over his lips.    


“Don’t be mad, Dae.” Minseok whined, kissing him again, sending the butterflies in Jongdae’s stomach into an uproar.    


“I’m not mad, Min. I’m not, really.” he tried to offer up a reassuring smile, and Minseok kissed him again. “Now get going before you’re late.”

~•~   
  


_ /Minseok/ _

Later that afternoon, Minseok sat in his office, going over papers and preparing for his work in a month.   


His boss, Park Miyeon, entered the room without knocking. She held a bundle of papers in her hands, her bottle-orange hair flowing down her shoulders.    


“Minseok.” she greeted. “You look sad today.”    


“Just stressed.” he commented, flipping over one of his papers.    


“Don’t be.” she said, circling around the desk and coming behind him, squeezing his shoulders and running her hands down Minseok’s arms. “You should be happy about all of this.”   


Minseok froze at her touch. He didn’t know why, but his body screamed that it was wrong.    


Miyeon was quite an affectionate person, and with the company being small, all staff were quite close.    


It wasn’t the first time he had come in contact with Miyeon, and she with her staff. But yet Minseok felt that this interaction was wrong, and he stood up abruptly, causing her to drop her arms back to her sides.    


“Sorry.” he told muttered. “I’m just stressed. What can I do for you?”   


“I just have more papers for you.” Miyeon said, placing them on his desk. “And there’s someone in the front for you.”   


“Thanks.” Minseok said, and quickly exited his office, leaving Miyeon behind without time for he himself to wonder who was here for him.    


As he turned the corner to where the front desk laid, his eyes immediately met the boy who waited for him there, two large, brown paper bags in hand.   


Once he noticed Minseok enter the area, he grinned from ear to ear. “Kiki!” he exclaimed, coming forward.   


“What are you doing here?” Minseok hissed, lowering his voice to avoid the lady who sat at the desk overhearing him.   


Jongdae held up the bags. “I brought lunch, Min.”   


Minseok laughed, shaking his head. “You’re so needy.” he rolled his eyes, reaching out and taking a bag from him. “What did you get, anyways? How?”   


“I took the bus and walked a bit, Min.” Jongdae followed Minseok back into his now Miyeon-free office. “And it's just fast food, Min. Nothing special.”   


Minseok pulled out a chair in front of his desk, and then began shifting papers around to make room for the both of them.    


“Tell me what you’ve done today, Min.” Jongdae said, setting out the food for the both of them while Minseok continued to place things away on his desk.    


He held up a stack of papers, showing them to Jongdae before he tucked them away into a drawer. “This. All day.”   


“Min, that’s boring.” Jongdae commented, digging into his food.    


“I don’t mind. It pays your  _ Netflix _ subscription, doesn’t it?” he remarked, finally sitting back after being content with the way his desk was laid out.    


“Shut it, Min.” Jongdae threw a fry at him. It landed in front of Minseok, not even hitting him. “I came to see you, not be attacked by you.”   


Minseok laughed. “What have you done today, then? Finish your show?”   


“No.” Jongdae grumbled. “I still have a few seasons left, Min. I’ve been very productive. I’m up, dressed, and out of the house, all before noon!” he gestured to himself proudly.   


“Jongdae, it’s twelve thirty.”   


“I was doing those things before noon, Min.”    


“Liar liar, it can’t be.” Minseok sang, resulting in another fry being thrown at him, this time being slapped in the face.   


“You’re lucky I love you, Min.”     


The two spent the rest of lunch conversing- Jongdae talked about this run-in he had with someone on the bus who he was pretty sure was a drug dealer trying to give him a fix. Minseok explained what he did at work to Jongdae, and despite the tales he told of his estranged co-workers, Jongdae still insisted Minseok’s job was boring.   


“Be safe.” Minseok said as he led Jongdae out the door. “I’ll meet you home for dinner. Remember to get the mail.”    


“I will, Min, I will.” Jongdae groaned, rolling his eyes. “I love you.”   


“Love you too.” Minseok replied, leaning over and kissing his cheek. “I’ll see you later.”   


Little did Minseok know that one of his co-workers, Park Kyung, rounded the corner as he kissed Jongdae’s cheek and confessed his love for him.   


Kyung backtracked right to the English department of their office workspace, leaning onto Park Bom’s desk.   


“So.” he started, not bothering to greet her or ask her how she was. “You won’t  _ believe  _ what I just saw. Remember that boy, right?”   


“Mhm.” she hummed, not looking up from her computer or halting her furious typing.    


“I thought he was for you, but I just saw Kim Minseok kiss him.” Kyung elaborated.    


That was enough to wrench Bom from her computer, a hand laying over her chest as she gasped. “Really?” she asked. “I thought he was another slut for Miyeon. Did they do anything else?”   


“I saw the boy take lunch into Minseok’s office.” Kim Namjoon chimed in, entering and handing a file full of papers to Kyung. “These are for you.”   


“Thanks.” he muttered, taking the file from him and placing it on Bom’s desk as he leaned off it, instead supporting himself with one hand. “Are you sure lunch was it?”   


Namjoon nodded. “His office is right beside mine. I would’ve heard if they did anything else. That boy of his isn’t exactly the quiet type. I heard him all lunch going on about how he gets his drugs from some guy on the bus. Maybe you know him, Bom.” he reached over and patted her shoulder while she shrieked in protest, hitting him with the file he had just dropped off.   


“Christ, Bom.” Minseok scoffed, walking by the three of them. “I thought you just got stabbed or some shit.”   


“I did!” she cried. “In the heart! I trusted you!” She clasped her hands over her heart, reached out for Namjoon, and fell dramatically to the floor.   


“Finally.” Kyung muttered, picking up the file and making his way back to his office.   


“Why am I always the one picked on?” Bom whined as she picked herself up off the floor.   


“You’re walking yourself into that one.” Minseok told her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations;
> 
> Ja ne mogu žitʹ bez tebja (Я не могу жить без тебя); I can’t live without you (Russian)
> 
> Ja ljublju tebja (Я люблю тебя); I love you (Russian)


	40. [PURPLE] XIII / Shut Up

_ WARNINGS: Medium language; implied sexual references  _

_ -Day 43; Wednesday, July 12th, 2017- _

His hand ran over the other boy’s leg, the denim fabric tight against his skin and rough against his hand.    


Kim Junmyeon’s lips skirted over Kris Wu’s, one hand laid on his waist and the other hand rested on his shoulder but now travelled its way down Kris’ chest, the touch leaving a burning sensation anywhere he touched.   


Not a painful burn, but rather a pleasurable one- one he easily endured.   


Their hands danced over each other while their lips barely broke, moving as if they were one body, one soul.   


And then both boys heard a click from the door, and shot up, peering over the back of the couch.   


“Get down.” Junmyeon hissed, placing a hand on the back of Kris’ head and shoving him down, squishing his face between the couch cushions. “Mom.” he laughed nervously, and Kris shook Junmyeon off, sliding down off the sofa so he crouched down. “I didn’t know you were coming.”   


“Of course.” Kris heard a woman snap, and things being placed on the table. “It’s Wednesday.”   


“I thought you were still away.” Junmyeon muttered.   


“I’ve been back almost a week now!” she exclaimed. Kris couldn't tell if she was joking or angry.  “I’m grabbing another bag, and when I come back I want better attitude from you, Kim Junmyeon.” 

 

Definitely not joking.    


“Yes, Mother.” Junmyeon said, and with that Kris heard the door slam shut, and Junmyeon quickly clambered off the sofa, hastily grabbing his clothes and tugging them on. “Get up and act straight.” Junmyeon said as he did so.   


“What the hell?” Kris asked, trying to find his shirt. Needless to say, Kris was confused. Junmyeon had acted different the moment she opened the door, and it was rare for him to bark orders at him like that.   


“My mom can’t know I’m gay.” he said forcefully, grabbing Kris’ shirt and throwing it at him. “If she asks, we’re just friends and I rented the apartment out to you over the school year and you just haven’t moved out yet.” Junmyeon moved faster than Kris could follow, and he picked himself up off the floor.    


Kris felt hurt at those words, not wanting to have to call Junmyeon any less than he was to him. It hurt more coming from Junmyeon himself, but Kris understood why.   


He had only heard a handful of tales about the woman who had stepped foot in their apartment, and Kris was both interested and scared to meet her.   


“You owe me later though.” Kris told Junmyeon, who had begun rooting through the contents of the bags placed upon the table.    


Junmyeon groaned, moving some items from the table to the counter behind him. “Honestly, Kris. No flirting, okay? You can once she’s gone.” he turned back to the table, and Kris approached him, coming up behind him.   


Junmyeon tensed under him.   


He wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing himself up against him. “One last kiss.” Kris bargained. “And I’ll leave you alone.”   


Relaxing, Junmyeon turned to face Kris, placing his hands on his cheeks and kissing him harshly, as if he knew it would be the last time he would ever kiss him.    


Junmyeon let back after a moment, running his hands up the side of his face and through his hair, letting them rest on his shoulders. “Oh, Kris.” he sighed, and Kris took in the expression of pity painted across his pretty face. “My mom can’t know you’re gay either, you know that, right? She’ll...” he trailed off for a moment, avoiding his gaze. “I don’t know what she’ll do exactly, but she’ll lose it. Just don’t do anything that could raise her suspicions, okay? I need you to act like some perfect poster child just for the night.”   


Kris nodded. “I got it. Don’t worry.” he reached up and tapped the other boy’s nose with his finger, giving him a reassuring smile. He stole another kiss, and then the door opened, and Junmyeon ripped away from him, leaning on the opposite end of the counter.   


Junmyeon and his mother proceeded to begin preparing and cooking, an occurrence that usually happened once a month as he was told. However, such an event didn’t take place last month as his mother had been out of the country, and Junmyeon often went to her house during the school year.   


Kris was given the small, simple job of dicing vegetables, a job Junmyeon said would be hard for him to mess up.    


Junmyeon made small talk with his mother, mostly her criticizing anything he did or mentioned. Kris never learned her name, but was instead instructed to call her “Mrs. Moon”, as that was her new married name.   


She had tried to ask questions to Kris about himself, but Junmyeon often intervened, answering for him. The answers Junmyeon provided were often short and far less interesting than what Kris would provide. His answers seemed to please his mother, though, and that made the evening flow better for Junmyeon.   


Once they had finished cooking and were actually able to eat a dish Kris could not pronounce properly, no matter how many times Junmyeon told it to him and no matter how many times Kris repeated it back to him, Junmyeon’s mother directed another question at him.    


He had barely spoken to her the entire night, really only having the opportunity to introduce himself.   


“Where did you say you were from, Kris?” she asked.  
  
“I already told you, Mother.” Junmyeon started, quickly swallowing his food to answer. “He’s from-”  


“Not you.” his mother snapped. “I’ve heard enough out of you tonight. I want to hear from him. Is he mute?”   


“No, ma’am.” Kris spoke up, clearing his throat. “I’m from China. Guangzhou.”   


“Kris isn’t a Chinese name, though.” Mrs. Moon commented, and Junmyeon looked at his mother, than shifting his gaze to his boyfriend, and back again to his mother pointedly. He didn’t say anything, and Kris suspected he wouldn’t say anything even if he wasn’t instructed to shut up.   


Kris placed his utensils down, laughing. “My Chinese name is Yifan, but I usually go by Kris. I grew up mainly in Vancouver, Canada.”    


“That makes sense.” she said. “I take it you speak English, then?”   


Kris nodded, picking his utensils up again. “Yes, ma’am. One may say better than my Chinese.”   


That earned a laugh out of Junmyeon’s mother, which caused Junmyeon to glare at Kris as if he had been scared and caught off guard.    


Kris earned himself another pointed glare from Junmyeon after his mother criticized him for the nth time that night, saying she wished her son had an intellect like him. Anyone who knew both Kris and Junmyeon would say that that statement was a lie.    


By the time Junmyeon finally bid his mother goodbye, the boy appeared drained, and leaned heavily against Kris. “I’m sleepy.” he murmured.   


“It’s not even nine yet.” Kris teased, kissing the top of his head. It felt good to be able to hold and kiss Junmyeon again, even if he was only not allowed to do so for a few hours. He hated how Junmyeon made sure there was a certain amount of distance and limited interaction between them, making sure he was on the other side of the room as if they were magnets propelled away from each other.    


Kris would rather be two magnets attracted to each other.   


“I know.” Junmyeon replied. “She tires me out.”    


“Why do you put up with her then?” Kris said, keeping his arms wrapped around him tightly.    


“Because she’s my mother and I have to.”    


“You don’t always have to.”   


“But at the end of the day, she’s my mother and I love her. It’s good that she tires me out. She keeps me moving. Forcefully, most of the time, but still moving.”   


Kris laughed, kissing the top of his head again. “I love you.” he muttered.   


Junmyeon pushed back a little, looking up at Kris. “You never told me your real name was Yifan.” he said it in such a way that Kris knew he wasn’t mad. As if Kris had just altered his sense of perception on everything- wondrously.    


“Didn’t think it was all that important.” Kris said, shrugging.    


For the most part, people knew him as Kris. On roll call he was always listed as Kris Wu, and that was the same name printed across his drivers license and his diplomas and his passport.    


Yifan was a name his mother left on his answering machine when he slept through her last five calls, a name that was attached to emails and what he was greeted with when he saw family.   


It was a name he barely heard or spoke, and preferred to keep it that way- he liked Kris much more, feeling as if he fit that name more. It was one he had made his own instead of given.   


“Yifan is fun to say.” Junmyeon said, leaning his head against his chest again.    


“No one calls me Yifan, though.” Kris said. He was trying to hint to Junmyeon that Yifan was a family name, but he did like the way Yifan rolled off Junmyeon’s tongue, how it sounded spilling off his lips.   


“Kris sounds more natural.” Junmyeon agreed. “Besides, you don’t look like a Yifan.”   


“How is a Yifan supposed to look?” Kris asked.   


“Like someone who plays chess.” Junmyeon told him, and Kris laughed. “But I’m pretty sure you’re horrible at chess.”   


“Is it that obvious?”   


“Yes.”   


“Okay.” Kris said, re-adjusting his arms around Junmyeon. “Since you picked apart my name-“   


“I didn’t pick your name apart.” Junmyeon said, rolling his eyes. “I just simply said you don’t look like a Yifan.”   


“Anyways.” Kris continued, jabbing Junmyeon in the ribs, making his squirm. “You’re scared of your mom.”   


“Am not!” Junmyeon protested as if he were a child, pushing away from Kris again. “I’m just a good son who listens to his mother.”   


“My mama didn’t raise a bitch.” Kris said, dropping his arms away from Junmyeon and making his way into their room (it was technically Junmyeon’s room, but Kris had claimed it as both of theirs). “Your mom apparently did though- she clearly has an effect on you. Judging by how you talk about her, it’s clear you wouldn’t mind not seeing her so much.”   


“I don’t need your two cents, Kris.” Junmyeon called from down the hall, and Kris could hear the eye roll. He could hear Junmyeon’s footsteps nearing until he stood in the doorframe of the room. “Just cause you’re a momma’s boy doesn’t mean you can tell me what to do.”   


“I’m not a momma’s boy.” Kris pouted. “I’m just grown enough to know when I need my mom and when I don’t.”   


Junmyeon gasped, and ran over to the bed and picked a pillow up off it, smacking Kris in the shoulder with it.   


“Hey!” Kris cried, grabbing Junmyeon by the waist and pulling him into his chest. He felt him relax against him, and he leaned down, kissing the crook of his neck.   


Kris liked many things about Junmyeon. Like how he rubbed his cheeks instead of his eyes, how his tongue poked between his teeth when he concentrated on something, and when he smiled or laughed his eyes crinkled. He liked his hands and how easily they fit in his, as if they were made with the other boy’s hands in mind.    


But he especially loved the crook of his neck, how soft the skin was there. When Kris kissed him, he could feel the tickle of Junmyeon’s breathing. Sometimes he would move so his lips would meet his, and he loved how he’d be nudged slightly with his nose and the press of his lips against his.   


“No matter how shitty you are, I still love you.” Junmyeon whispered, moving and kissing Kris upon his lips and sending burning sensations throughout all of Kris’ body. Kris pulled back, opening his mouth to retaliate, but was cut off before he could even speak. “Sh.” Junmyeon hushed, kissing him again. “Shut up and hold me.”   


Another kiss.   


Another attempt at retaliation.   


“Shut up and kiss me.”


	41. [LIAR] XIV / Affirmation

2017-2018 Abroad Students

**-Ahn Hyejin**

_ Second Year _

_ Restoration Biology Major _

_ Norway _

**-Gong Minji**

_ Second Year _ _   
_ _ Environmental Science Major _ _   
_ __ Taiwan

  
**-Jung Jinsoul**   
_ First Year _

_ Architectural Studies Major _ _   
_ _ China _

**-Kang Seulgi**   
_ Third Year _ _   
_ _ Sociology Major _ _   
_ __ Austria 

**-Kim, Jennie**   
_ Second Year _ _   
_ _ Classical Studies Major _ _   
_ __ France

  
**-Kim Jongin**

_ Third Year _ _   
_ _ Ecology Major _ _   
_ __ Taiwan

**-Kim Taehyung**   
_ Fourth Year _ _   
_ _ Mathematics Major _ _   
_ __ Finland

**-Kim Taehyung**   
_ Second Year _ _   
_ _ Motion Picture Arts Major _ _   
_ __ Spain

**-Nam Taehyun**   
_ Second Year _ _   
_ _ Archeology Major _ _   
_ __ Greece

  
**-Park Chanyeol**   
_ Fourth Year _ _   
_ _ Music Major _

_ Canada _   
****

**-Pyo Jihoon**   
_ Third Year _ _   
_ _ Interior Design Major _

_ India _


	42. [THE LONG GAME] XIV / Drinks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Implied sexual references; mentions of drugs and drug use

_ -Day 44; Thursday, July 13th, 2017- _

“Everyone!” Park Miyeon announced by the front desk. Most people were milling about in the area, only a few minutes left before they were allowed to leave. They all had their work done for the day, except Heo Minseon, who still kneeled at her desk, hastily finishing her paper.   


“Miyeon!” Park Kyung called back in mimicry, raising a few snickers from others, Kim Minseok included.   


“Drinks tonight on me!” Miyeon continued, ignoring Kyung’s comment. “Usual time and place, okay?”   


“But Miyeon!” Heo Minseon cried, looking up from her paper. “We’re still underage!”   


“Idiot!” Heo Minjin exclaimed, hitting her sister in the arm. “We were drinking before we were legal, anyways.” this also raised a few snickers from their colleagues.   


“We’re all above age here.” Miyeon said.   


“I’m not.” Jung Haerim piped up.   


“You’re just an intern.” Kyung shot back. “Of course you’re still underage.”   


“You can still come, but you’ll have to buy your own drinks.” Miyeon commented.   


“It’s five!” Park Bom cried, elbowing her way through everyone. “See ya!”   


“You all can bring people, too!” Miyeon shouted as everyone began to file out. “But they’re paying for their own drinks!”   


The last comment fell on deaf ears, not that it mattered to Minseok anyway- where he went, Kim Jongdae went. They were always together, and Minseok didn’t want it any other way.   


When Minseok was still in university, both he and Jongdae often got texts or calls inquiring where they were. Minseok and Jongdae were often referred to as a singular unit, as if they were one person.   


People knew that if Minseok was in the cafeteria, Jongdae was there with him, picking off his food. People knew that if Jongdae had a study hall, Minseok was there hastily finishing his own homework. People knew that if they heard Jongdae, yelling down the halls at people he knew, Minseok was there behind him, telling him to shut up.   


It had always been like that, even throughout elementary and high school. Jongdae would cut class when Minseok had spares to go on supply runs (the endless bags of candy Jongdae hoarded in his locker). Minseok moved his timetable around to have his spare align with Jongdae’s easier classes, and both would make mad dashes to the other end of the school to meet the other.    


Sitting in his car with the engine running, Minseok quickly sent texts to Jongdae before he made his way home.   
  


**not jongdae🌈** : drinks? :)   
**not jongdae🌈** : on me   
**not jongdae🌈** : 🥂💸   
**not minseok✨** : www   
**not jongdae🌈** : work people, that small bar near there I took you there before with baekhyun and he almost got arrested remember??? and tonight after dinner    
**not minseok✨** : aw yeah I remember that 

**not minseok✨** : either that guy had a really big hard on or a gun   
**not jongdae🌈** : im p sure it was a gun hon    
**not minseok✨:** !! that rhymed !!   
**not minseok✨** : but yea I’ll go I wanna meet the people you work with I hope they’re as wild as the stories you tell me   
**not jongdae🌈** : oh god I hope not we’ll get kicked out    
  
~•~   
  


As the two boys clambered out of Minseok’s car, Jongdae’s hand darted out and grabbed Minseok’s, holding it tightly.    


“This place seems sketchier than before, Min.” Jongdae muttered, staying close to his boyfriend as they entered the dingy bar, immediately being met with bright, flashing lights and music so loud Minseok felt the bass in his chest, thumping rhythmically like a heartbeat.   


“It’s fine.” Minseok reassured, quickly scanning the crowd of people for faces familiar to him. “We were fine last time, were we not?”   


“Min.” Jongdae said pointedly, shooting Minseok a look. “Baekhyun almost got arrested last time, and there was a guy with a gun.”   


Spotting his colleagues, Minseok began pulling Jongdae through the crowd of people, making their way to the other side of the bar. “Or he just had a really big hard on.”   


“I thought we established it was a gun, Min?” Dae yelled, trying to be heard over the music.    


Minseok shrugged. “Just stay close to me, then.” he told Jongdae, leaning in close and speaking into his ear.   


“Minseok!” Krystal Jung exclaimed when she spotted both boys approach, which caused the others in the cluster to gesture towards them in greeting.   


“How are you?” Kim Namjoon slurred, running his hand over Minseok’s face. Clearly already drunk, Minseok found it safe to assume that he meant to put a hand on his shoulder instead of fumbling around his face.   


“I’m fine, thanks.” Minseok said, gently lifting his hand away from his face.    


“Tired.” Krystal replied, rubbing her face and smearing her lipstick up her cheek. Park Bom, who was sat beside her, sighed and scrubbed her cheek with a napkin, much to her protest.   


“Min.” Jongdae said quietly, and Minseok turned to him. “I want a drink.” he held his other hand out.   


Minseok did say Jongdae’s drinks were on him, and he reached into his pocket and dug out his wallet, handing Jongdae a wad of bills. “Here,” he said, pocketing his wallet again. “Don’t go crazy.”   


While Jongdae turned away from him, one hand still firmly grasped in his, Miyeon came up to Minseok, slinging her arm over his shoulder and pressing a drink into his hand. “How are you?” she called.   


“Fine.” he called back, glancing down at the drink in his hand. “What is this?” Miyeon yelled something Minseok couldn’t interpret back, and then turned away, yelling something at Kyung.   


“He’s over here!” Kyung yelled in reply, aggressively pointing to Namjoon, whom had moved away from Minseok and leaning heavily against Kyung.   


A man pushed through the crowd of people, breaking through and approaching the group. “Sorry.” he muttered, and reached out to Kyung, grabbing Namjoon and supporting his weight. “How much do I owe you?” he queried, turning to Miyeon.   


Jongdae, who had resulted in leaning against Minseok’s shoulder, gasped and turned his face away from him.    


“No, no.” Miyeon insisted, waving him off, one arm still slung around Minseok. “It’s fine, Jin, really.”   


“That’s  _ Seokjin _ to you.” Namjoon said, lazily pointing a finger at her.   


Kim Seokjin rolled his eyes, shaking his head and lowering Namjoon’s arm. “Jin is fine.” he assured Miyeon. “I’ll be-”    


“Wait!” Krystal yelled out, outstretching her hand towards them. “Are you his boyfriend?” she asked, and Bom hit her in the arm.    


“Krys, you can’t just ask people things like that.” Bom told her, much to Jin’s amusement.   


“No, no.” Jin protested, waving his hand. “We’re just roommates.”   


“That’s what you say now.” Namjoon slurred, placing his hand on the other boy’s face.    


It was while he watched these events unfold that Minseok realized who this man was and where he had known him from- he had went to high school with him, Seokjin being in Jongdae’s grade. Minseok had dropped and picked Jongdae up from a party at Seokjin’s, which explained Jongdae’s reaction.   


“He’s clearly not gay.” Kyung commented, gesturing to Seokjin. “Only a straight man would wear a shirt that shade of brown.”   


“Only a straight man would style their hair like that.” Minseok added as Jin self-consciously looked down at his shirt, and then laid a hand on top of his head.   


“I’ll be leaving now.” Jin muttered, shifting Joon’s weight around. He uttered his farewells and apologies to everyone. “It was nice seeing you, Jongdae.” he added.   


Uncovering his face, Jongdae slowly turned to face Jin, smiling politely. “You as well, Seokjin.” he muttered, and Seokjin took his leave, lugging a drunk Namjoon out.   


“Minseok.” Krystal whined, placing her head in her hand. “Who’s that?” she pointed to Jongdae this time, who was frozen stiff. Minseok was unable to tell if it was from being called out by Seokjin or from being put on the spot by Krystal.   


“Is he the boy that came by the office the other day?” Bom asked, picking up the napkin again. Minseok set his drink down, the glass beginning to chill his hand.   


“Is he a drug addict?” Kyung asked, causing people to glare at him. “He seems like a Mary Jane kind of guy.” he shrugged.   


“I’m not a drug addict. Nor am I on any drugs.” Jongdae said defensively.   


“Heard you talking about drugs the other day.” Kyung shot back.   


“There was a guy on the bus who offered me drugs.” Jongdae explained sheepishly.    


While Kyung shot some smart-aleck remark back, Miyeon put her face closer to Minseok’s. “Do you want another drink?” she asked, speaking into his ear.   


She still clung into him, as if she were attached to his shoulder. Both her arms were resting on his shoulder. Minseok felt his stomach tightening up, his breathing becoming a little heavier. He had the same feeling as he did the other day, the feeling that it was wrong.   


“I’m okay.” he said, giving her a small smile. He hoped that if he appeased her, she’d eventually back off.   


“You sure?” she questioned, pouting and tilting her head to the side.   


“I’m sure.” Minseok said, nodding, perhaps too vigorously. “I still have some left.”   


She traced one of her hands down his arm, placing her fingers within his. “Do you want to go dance?” Miyeon asked, gesturing with her head towards where others danced within the lights.   


He opened his mouth to protest, make some excuse on why he couldn’t, when he was wrenched away by Jongdae pulling on his arm.   


“Tell ‘em, Min.” Jongdae said, gesturing towards Kyung, Krystal, and Bom.   


“Tell them what?” he asked, releasing Miyeon’s hand. She still stayed attached to his shoulder.   


“That I’m not a drug addict, Min!” he exclaimed.   


Minseok laughed, leaning away from Miyeon and into Jongdae, shaking her off. “He’s not an addict.” he said, backing his boyfriend up. “An annoying shit, yes, but not an addict.” that raised laughs from the others, and a swift kick in the shins from Jongdae. Minseok kicked him back.   


“Okay, but you never answered my question.” Krystal pointed out. “Who are you?”   


“Oh!” Minseok exclaimed, laughing again as he forgot to introduce Jongdae. He felt his cheeks heat up, and could only imagine the shade of red they were. “This is Kim Jongdae.” he started, gesturing towards him. “He’s my boyfriend.”   


“That’s gay.” Kyung pointed out.   


“That’s the point.” Minseok replied.   


“I’m not gay, though.” Jongdae said. “Only Minnie is.”   


“Thanks, Dae.” Minseok muttered. He felt Miyeon’s arms on his shoulders again.   


“Since when were you gay?” Krystal called.   


“Didn’t you just agree earlier today that Lee Sunmi was hot?” Kyung asked.   


Minseok nodded. “Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I don’t know what a pretty girl looks like.”   


“Min!” Jongdae cried, hitting him in the arm. “Are you serious? Goo Hara is way hotter than Lee Sunmi.”    


“I’m not doing this again.” Minseok groaned.   


“There it is!” Krystal yelled, pointing at Minseok. “There’s the gay!”   


“I see it.” Bom commented, as if in wonder and realization.   


“Anyways.” Miyeon piped up, clearing her throat. “I don’t think Minseok introduced us to you. I’m Park Miyeon.” she leaned across Minseok’s chest, outstretching a hand towards Jongdae, who took it and curtly shook it.    


Quickly, more hands came towards Jongdae, introductions being thrown at him.    


“Isn’t Park Miyeon Chanyeol’s sister, Min?” Jongdae whispered when the focus shifted. Minseok shrugged. “Min, are you feeling okay?” Jongdae continued, tossing him a confused and worried look. “You seem very out of it tonight.”   


“Sorry.” Minseok muttered, leaning against Jongdae. “I’m fine.”   


“Tell me if you don’t feel good though, okay Min?” Minseok nodded in reply, and felt his weight shifting away from Jongdae, and his body seemingly becoming lighter.    


“Do you want another drink?” Miyeon asked, close to his face. Minseok couldn’t remember whether he had answered that or not already.    


He opened his mouth to reply, but felt at a loss for words. He felt light, like when he went to the dentist and they took the heavy led apron off of him.   


“Let’s go dance.” Miyeon said cheerily, taking Minseok’s free hand, not the one that was tightly clasped with Jongdae’s.   


Minseok felt himself being pulled away, his hand slipping away from Jongdae’s.   


“Dae.” Minseok muttered, and as Miyeon turned around to ask what Minseok had said, he felt Jongdae’s hand tighten around his again.   


“Hey!” Jongdae called, and Minseok felt his weight shifting back towards him, his shoulder pressing into what Minseok assumed was his. “What are you doing?”   


Miyeon called back out to Jongdae, but Minseok didn’t catch what she said, only that she said it in a reassuring tone.   


Jongdae said something again and pulled Minseok even closer, a hand pressed to the side of his face.    


“Min?” he said, and he sounded faint and distant as a wave of nausea hit him. “You feelin’ okay?”   


Before Minseok could even attempt to reply, he felt himself being dragged away.   


“Dae.” he managed to force out, and felt himself being forced to sit. He assumed it was his car by the feel of the seats and the air freshener he kept in it.   


Jongdae quickly hushed him, his hands still on him.    


Minseok turned, seeing the door still open, and what he thought may have been Jongdae’s shoes- the ugly brown ones- and promptly vomited onto the ground. He felt even lighter after that.   


There was muttering from Jongdae, what Minseok thought were a string of curse words. Jongdae’s voice became fainter and fainter, and he felt as if the car was getting darker and darker, despite the car light being on.   


And with faint yelling in the back, the world was sucked of any and all light, leaving Minseok weak, sick, and slumped against the wheel of his car.


	43. [PURPLE] XIV / Distraction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Drug mention and use; strong language; implied sexual references; hospitalization [THIS CHAPTER IS RATED MATURE] As a fair warning, this chapter does include a lot of swearing and drugs (slang, mentions of use, both recreational and date rape). This is not meant to romanticize or glorify these acts, but rather raise awareness because this is unfortunately a reality for many people. If you or anyone you know struggles with aspects of these, please seek help and visit the links at the end of the chapter. Thank you for reading, and remember you are not alone!

**_ -Day 34; Thursday, July 13th, 2017- _ **

**not minseok✨** : help   
**not minseok✨** : guys please I’m serious this is seriously    
**luluhanxi7** : what’s up hoe   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : this is Jongdae right???   
**baekthosebyuns** : Yes   
**kyungsoo93** : Minseok and Jongdae’s usernames are reversed.   
**not minseok✨** : it’s Minnie    
**not minseok✨** : he passed out and I don’t know what to do or why    
**galaxykris🌟** : well what were you guys doin?? He couldn’t have just passed out for the fun of it   
**not minseok✨** : we were at that bar baekkie almost got arrested with some of his co workers but he only had one drink not even   
**baekthosebyuns** : ugh I remember that that wasn’t fun 10/10 do NOT recommend    
**kyungsoo93** : Baekhyun’s almost been arrested before?   
**baekthosebyuns** : that’s a story for anoTher day my guy   
**luluhanxi7** : gay*   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : AHAHAHAHA

**oohsehunnie** : now is not the time minseok might be dying    
**luluhanxi7** : I wish I was dying    
**oohsehunnie** : stfu lardass    
**kim junmyeon.** : where are you guys now?   
**not minseok✨** : still in the parking lot   
**not minseok✨** : he passed out in the car   
**chanyeol_pcy** : drive him home dummy    
**baekthosebyuns** : dae doesn’t have his license    
**doritao** : I’ve legit seen him drive before    
**not minseok✨** : I get it back at the end of the month    
**kyungsoo93:** o h    
**kim junmyeon.** : what was he acting like before he passed out?

**galaxykris🌟** : did he say anything about not feeling well??   
**not minseok✨** : he got sick, and kinda stumbled around a bit like he was drunk (but he wasn’t I know when he’s drunk) and his hands were sweaty and he seemed tired?? Idk he wouldn’t talk much and seemed like he couldn’t talk and he had the shakes   
**galaxykris🌟** : sounds like he’s been fuckn roofied    
**kim junmyeon.** : did he take drinks from anyone?   
**galaxykris🌟** : he’s not gonna have fun tomorrow    
**not minseok✨** : idk I wasn’t watching but I think so?? Chanyeol’s sister bought everyone drinks   
**doritao** : CHANYEOL INDIRECTLY ROOFIED MINSEOK   
**chanyeol_pcy** : ?? my sisters been with me all night???   
**oohsehunnie** : what kind of sketchy ass bar did you go to    
**not minseok✨** : your sister Isn’t Park miyeon?? Orange hair?? Kinda handsy??   
**chanyeol_pcy** : no   
**baekthosebyuns** : the closest MIEUN gets to handsy is constantly hitting yeollie    
**kim junmyeon.** : jongdae take Minseok to a hospital    
**not minseok✨** : I can’t    
**not minseok✨** : I can’t drive   
**not minseok✨** : even if I could I wouldn’t I’m too panicked and upset and a lil tipsy    
**doritao** : take the bus

**not minseok✨** : IM NOT PUTTING SOMEONE WHOS JUST BEEN ROOFIED ON THE FUCKING BUS ZITAO   
**kim junmyeon.** : DO NOT PUT SOMEONE WHOS JUST BEEN ROOFIED ON THE BUS   
**oohsehunnie** : I’d quite like to see someone who’s just been roofied put on the bus    
**baekthosebyuns:** I’ll come get you    
**chanyeol_pcy** : no you’re not driving    
**chanyeol_pcy** : you’re in no place to drive    
**chanyeol_pcy** : ill come get you Dae send me the address    
_ /not minseok✨ has dropped ‘sketchy bar’ as a location/ _   
**kyungsoo93** : the name is quite fitting    
**baekthosebyuns:** come get me too please   
**kim junmyeon.** : kris and I will come get you; let Chanyeol get Jongdae and Minseok. It’s important that Minseok gets to a hospital, even if he hasn’t been roofied he still needs help   
**galaxykris🌟** : since when did we decide we were doing that    
**kim junmyeon.** : do you want me to push you out the window?   
**luluhanxi7** : you’ve been threatening that for months now ☕️   
**kim junmyeon.** : you wanna go before or after him?   
_ /luluhanxi7 has left the chat/ _   
**not minseok✨** : text me when you’re close please   
**baekthosebyuns** : rt    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : kris didn’t you say you’d been roofied once   
**galaxykris🌟** : yes by accident    
**oohsehunnie** : I would hope anytime someone gets roofied it’s by accident    
**doritao** : there’s a story behind it isn’t there   
**galaxykris🌟** : Yes   
**galaxykris🌟** : when I was in high school my friends and I were trying to see what different drugs there were and stuff basically we were trying them all except the super dangerous shit like heroin we kept pretty mild like weed that kinda stuff   
**galaxykris🌟** : anyways my one friend was like “dude I know a guy I can get some lsd off of” and we told him go for it but the order was swapped with someone else’s accidentally so they got our lsd and we got their circles   
**galaxykris🌟** : we didn’t really know any better and we’re loading up on all this lunch money thinking it’s lsd    
**galaxykris🌟** : needless to say it didn’t end well for many reasons, one being that I missed a week of school cause I was hospitalized and I missed so much I was up to my knees in catch up work and then I was hospitalized for another week cause of how shit I was mentally because of it    
**baekthosebyuns** : That was wild from start to finish    
**kyungsoo93** : you’ve been hospitalized before?   
**galaxykris🌟** : quite a few times unfortunately 

**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : next time I see you I’ll give you a hug    
**galaxykris🌟** : I’m chill now but thanks xingxing    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : o(^▽^)o   
**baekthosebyuns** : that’s adorable I love   
**not minseok✨** : wait so you’re saying that Minseok’s gonna be hospitalized for a week?? and then be mentally shit??   
**galaxykris🌟** : Minseok is more mature than I and has his shit together he’ll still likely be hospitalized but I don’t see him being hospitalized again for mental health    
**doritao** : he will have troubles coping and if his boss really did roofie him he might have problems going back to work   
**kyungsoo93** : he might want to take sick days. If he doesn’t, and wants to go to work, let him, but check on him in the afternoons and evenings and make sure he doesn’t over work himself.   
**baekthosebyuns** : a popular coping method is drowning yourself in work and stuff and not dealing with it properly, get him to talk about it and make sure he doesn’t bottle anything up cause that’ll make it worse   
**chanyeol_pcy** : you took that directly from your therapist    
**baekthosebyuns** : aren’t you driving?   
**chanyeol_pcy** : Red light 🚨   
**oohsehunnie** : make sure to give him space tho too if he doesn’t Want to talk about it give him space but make sure he knows you’re always there if he does want to talk    
**galaxykris🌟** : don’t dump too much on him dudes or both Dae and Min will be hospitalized    
**not minseok✨** : I’m scared and I’m not even the one roofied    
**baekthosebyuns** : call me    
**oohsehunnie** : k   
**doritao** : potassium    
**baekthosebyuns** : not you fucker Dae   
**not minseok✨** : y tho    
**baekthosebyuns** : I’ll explain on the phone    
**not minseok✨** : k    
**doritao** : potassium   
**kim junmyeon.** : say that one more time and I’ll push you out the window too    
**doritao** : >:(   
**galaxykris🌟** : baek send your address   
_ /baekthosebyuns has dropped ‘la casa byun’ as a location/ _   
**galaxykris🌟** : gracias    
**doritao** : since when did you guys speak Spanish    
**baekthosebyuns** : I thought it was French   
**galaxykris🌟** : since my friend is Mexican pinche pendejo   
**oohsehunnie** : I don’t speak Mexican please translate    
**kyungsoo93** : you all better be glad Minseok’s not here or he would beat all of your asses.   
**doritao** : wouldn’t it still technically be Mexican because it’s a Mexico-originated phrase???   
**baekthosebyuns** : thanks google    
**galaxykris🌟** : oh mon dieu    
**galaxykris🌟** : Okay say you live in Taiwan. What do you speak?   
**doritao** : Chinese   
**galaxykris🌟** : Okay now say you have a phrase that’s native to Taiwan. It’s still chinese, but just used in Taiwan so therefore it’s still chinese   
**baekthosebyuns** : That Just Lost me more    
**galaxykris🌟** : okay now you live in Australia. What do you speak?   
**oohsehunnie** : ENGLISH!!!   
**galaxykris🌟** : the word grouse is Australian slang right    
**oohsehunnie** : deadset    
**galaxykris🌟** : even tho it’s aussie slang it’s still English    
**oohsehunnie** : OKAY THAT MAKES SENSE   
**baekthosebyuns** : oooooohhhhh   
**galaxykris🌟** : idjits   
**baekthosebyuns** : that’s American English    


 

“Careful, Myeon.” Kris Wu muttered, sitting in the passenger seat of his own car. “Damn, and you call me a reckless driver.”   


“He’s being an asshole!” Kim Junmyeon exclaimed, gesturing to the car he passed and pulled ahead of. “Like holy shit, learn to fucking drive.”   


“You’re cute when you’re angry.” Kris commented, smirking.   


“Shut up.” Junmyeon remarked, and Kris moved one of Junmyeon’s hands off the wheel and brought it to his lips, earning himself a small tap on his cheek before Junmyeon retracted his hand.   


“Take a left.” Kris called out, directions displayed on his phone.    


“Ask Chanyeol what hospital he’s taking them to.” Kris quickly text him, reading out the address to Junmyeon again. “Tell Baekhyun we’re almost there.”   


The rest of the short ride was like that, Junmyeon asking Kris to do a million things on his phone and insisting every other driver was an asshole who needed their eyes checked, and Kris insisting that Junmyeon was cute when he was upset.   


Eventually they pulled into Baekhyun’s driveway behind a black SUV.    


“Do you want me to go up or you?” Junmyeon asked, secretly hoping Kris would offer so he didn’t have to get out of the car.   


“Unless you want to.” Kris offered, also wanting Junmyeon to do it for the same reason.   


Before the two could debate any further, the door behind Kris opened, and Byun Baekhyun slid in, tossing a backpack onto the seat beside him. “Let’s go.” he said, more like an order rather than a statement.   


“Hello to you, too.” Kris commented while Junmyeon pulled out of the driveway, ripping down the road and causing Baekhyun to fly forward into the back of Kris’ seat.   


“Careful!” Kris yelled, hitting Junmyeon in the arm.   


“Don’t tell me what to do!” Junmyeon yelled back, elbowing Kris in the ribs.   


“It’s my fucking car!” Kris yelled back, and the car suddenly came to a halt before Kris could hit him back.    


“If you two are gonna fistfight it out, let me drive.” Baekhyun barked, his hand wrapped around the emergency brake. “My best friend’s best friend is currently hospitalized because he was fucking drugged, and I need to be there and don’t have time for whatever sexual tension is going on here. So either get out or get over it.”    


“There’s no sexual tension between us-“ Junmyeon started, but was quickly cut off by Kris.   


“Yeah?” he scoffed, shooting him an appalling look. “You’re never home to know whether there’s sexual tension or not!”   


“Because I’m trying to pay for a place for you to fucking live!” Junmyeon cried, and Baekhyun sighed from the back seat and climbed out of the car, opening Kris’ door.   


“Maybe you would know I don’t need your fucking money if you actually talked to me for once!” Kris yelled back as Baekhyun dragged him out of the car, and Junmyeon quickly scrambled out as well, standing in the middle of the street.   


“Maybe I’d talk to you if you shut the fuck up for once!” Junmyeon shot back while Baekhyun pushed Kris into the back seat, and Junmyeon followed suit. “Put your fucking seatbelt on.”   


“You’re the one who just told me not to tell you what to do!” Kris said, complying anyways while Baekhyun climbed into the front seat, pausing a moment before moving the car.    


“Because you’re always telling me what to do!”   


“Am not!”   


“Are too!”   


“Oh my gosh.” a deep voice crackled, laughing electronically, causing both Junmyeon and Kris to jump in surprise. “They sound like five year olds.”   


“What the fuck was that?” Kris asked, a hand over his chest in shock. While he spoke, Baekhyun shushed whatever it was.   


“Nothing.” Baekhyun squeaked, and both Junmyeon and Kris argued against him. “It was Chanyeol!” he said, finally giving in and waving his phone in the air.   


“Hi.” Chanyeol said sheepishly from the other end of the line. Both Junmyeon and Kris muttered greetings to Chanyeol.   


“I found your arguing funny so I called him.” Baekhyun explained. “And it’s my first time driving-”   


“You’ve never driven before?” Kris asked while Junmyeon told him to “get out of the fucking car” while climbing out himself.   


“I’ve driven before, that’s not what I meant!” Baekhyun cried, hands in the air as he switched seats with Junmyeon.   


“Maybe if you two actually did pay attention to shit you’d know.” Chanyeol commented.   


“I’ll throw that phone out the fucking window.” Junmyeon threatened.    


“Hey!” Baekhyun yelled back. “He has a point.”   


“Since when did you give such a shit about Park Chanyeol?” Kris asked.   


“I’ll see you later.” Baekhyun said into his phone, shooting Kris a look as he hung up.   


“Avoiding the question, eh?” Kris teased, poking Baekhyun in the thigh.   


“It’s none of your business, Kris.” Baekhyun shot back, slapping Kris’ hand away.   


Again, the rest of the short car ride was like that, minor scrabbles and threats from all of each other.    


The minute Junmyeon pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, Baekhyun was out of the car, taking off across the lot. Junmyeon grabbed Kris’ hand before crossing, chasing after him.   


“Jongdae says they checked into room 319.” Baekhyun read out from his phone, standing in front of the elevator and repeatedly hitting the up button. “Fuck it, I’m taking the stairs.” he muttered, meaning to take off, but the doors dinged open right at that moment, and Kris reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him back towards them and into the elevator.   


“Easy.” Junmyeon warned, and before Kris could retort back Baekhyun spoke out with a groan.   


“I’m not listening to this argument again.” he said, crossing his arms. “For God’s sake, just fuck it out.”   


Both Junmyeon and Kris shot Baekhyun a look, and Kris shrugged and fiddled with his belt buckle.   


“Oh God, not right here!” Baekhyun yelled, his hands outstretched and waving. “God, no! Later! Not in front of me, holy shit!”   


Junmyeon laughed at Baekhyun’s response, leaning into Kris’ chest. “You told us to.”   


“I didn’t mean here!” Baekhyun yelled, his hands now over his eyes and his back turned to them. “Oh, God.”   


Junmyeon still laughed at Baekhyun’s reaction, and both of Kris’ arms slid around Junmyeon’s waist. “I’m sorry.” Kris whispered in his ear, kissing his temple.   


“I’m sorry, too.” Junmyeon told him. “I’ll try and pay more attention to you.”   


“And I’ll try and not be so picky.” Kris said, moving and kissing his lips.   


“Stop being gay for ten fucking seconds, please.” Baekhyun whined, hands on his face, pulling down his cheeks.   


“I’m sorry,” Junmyeon told him, ripping away from Kris and laughing. “But eventually you’ll find someone you love so much you want to kiss them all the time.” This statement earned Junmyeon another kiss, and he was growing accustomed to the feeling he got every time Kris kissed him.   


The elevator doors dinged open, and Baekhyun made his way off, going on about how he “only wanted ten seconds without them being all over each other”. Kris and Junmyeon followed Baekhyun off and down the hall, Kris dropping his hands away from Junmyeon’s waist and wrapping his fingers in his.   


“Yeollie!” Baekhyun yelled all of a sudden, taking off down the hall when he spotted a tall figure in a black hoodie, his bright red hair making him a beacon in the hallway.   


When Kris and Junmyeon finally approached the two, Park Chanyeol had his arms wrapped around Baekhyun, who fired questions at him a mile a minute.   


“Where’s Jongdae? How’s Minseok? Is he okay? Has the doctor seen him yet? What did they say? Do you know how long he’s gonna be in there for? How’s Jongdae? Is he okay? I’m scared he’s going to have some sort of breakdown or something. Did he bring anything? I brought my bag. Did you bring anything? Did you get my texts? Sorry I hung up so quickly on you. Did you at least find them funny like I told you? I drove all by myself for a little bit! You should’ve seen; did you see? Aren’t you proud? How are you? Are you okay? Was the drive for you okay? How’s your gas? Are you tired? Did you eat? I missed you. Did you miss me?”   


Chanyeol just laughed Baekhyun’s questions off, not noticing Junmyeon and Kris approach. “Everyone’s doing fine.” Chanyeol told him, reaching up and running his fingers through Baekhyun’s hair. “Jongdae’s in with Minseok right now; I don’t think the doctor’s going to let us in quite yet; I’m not sure. And I’m very proud of you, as always. You did so well.” Chanyeol paused for a moment to kiss Baekhyun’s forehead. “And of course I missed you. I always miss you.”   


“And you just told us to stop being gay for ten seconds!” Kris exclaimed, gesturing to the two of them who immediately ripped apart when they realized that the two were standing so close by. “What is up with everyone and being hypocrites today?”   


“I don’t know what you mean.” Chanyeol said, coughing.    


“That was pretty gay.” Kris said. “Since when were you two fucking?”   


“I still don’t know what you mean.” Chanyeol said, averting his gaze from Kris. “That’s just how I greet everyone.” he came towards Junmyeon with his arms outstretched.   


“Don’t fucking touch him.” Kris warned.   


“Sorry.” Chanyeol muttered, retreating back to his spot against the wall.   


“Seriously though.” Junmyeon said. “How long has this been going on?”   


“Since Luhan’s.” Baekhyun admitted sheepishly, his head down, and Chanyeol shot him a look.   


“Who else knows? Why didn’t you tell anyone? Does Jongdae know?” Junmyeon pestered, and Kris told him to reel it in.   


“Our families, I guess?” Baekhyun questioned, looking up and shrugging.   


“Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol added.   


“Do Kyungsoo?” Kris asked.   


Baekhyun and Chanyeol nodded. “And we didn’t say anything because we didn’t want to, really. Many reasons. Too many to list right now. And no, Dae doesn’t know, and he’s not going to, you hear me?” He took a step forward, his pointer finger outstretched towards the both of them. “I swear to God, if one of you says a damn word-”   


“What he means is,” Chanyeol intervened, holding an arm out in front of Baekhyun. “That Jongdae might not take to the news so kindly and we’d rather you guys kept it on the down low. Pretend you guys still don’t even know.”   


“Lips are sealed.” Junmyeon said, making a motion as if he was zipping his lips shut.   


“Baekhyun!” a voice called out, a body barrelling into his small frame.   


“You guys are here I’m so glad the doctor said he’s doing fine that he’s gonna be fine he’s gonna be on bed rest and all that stuff for the next little bit but that’s okay that just means I get to spend more time with him before he leaves oh my god Baekkie I was so scared but I’m so glad you guys are here-”   


Baekhyun cut Kim Jongdae’s rambling off, shushing him as he kept his arms wrapped around his best friend. “It’s okay, DaeDae, it’s okay.”   


Jongdae pushed himself off of Baekhyun, turning and greeting the others. “You guys can come in now if you’d like.” He pushed the door open to the room he had come rushing out of, allowing the others to file in. “There’s two extra chairs, but I don’t think there’s enough for us all.” he said, dragging two chairs away from the wall.   


“It’s fine.” Kris said. “Junmyeon and I can stand.”   


“Since when were you okay with standing?” Junmyeon asked, looking at him confusedly. “You don’t even take the stairs.”   


“Just because I don’t like taking the stairs doesn’t mean I can’t stand. I am gentleman, Kim Junmyeon.”    


“You are the furthest thing I’ve ever seen from a gentleman.” Jongdae commented, seated beside the bed by Minseok, passed out in the hospital bed. “If anyone here is a gentleman, I’d say it’s Chanyeol.”   


“That’s too much pressure.” Chanyeol denied, shaking his head. “Kris can have it.”   


“In the end, gentlemen always win.” Kris said.   


“Refer to yourself as a gentleman one more time and I’ll push you out the window.” Junmyeon threatened.   


“You always threaten that, yet never do it-”   


“I will one of these days! Just try me!”   


“Oh my god.” Baekhyun whined again. “I’m not listening to this for the fifteenth fucking time tonight. That’s literally all they do. No wonder Junmyeon never spends time with you, Kris!”   


“So it’s my fault?” Kris said with an accusative tone.   


“Baekhyun, don’t get into this.” Junmyeon warned.    


“Now I know what you mean when you said there was so much sexual tension between them.” Chanyeol commented.    


“I can basically see it.” Jongdae added, leaning forward onto the bed.   


“I told them they just need to fuck it out. Not right here, obviously.” Baekhyun said, pointedly at Kris.   


“I think it’s kinda sad that that’s a problem in their relationship.” Jongdae said.    


“We’re right here, you know.” Junmyeon told him.   


“I mean, Minseok and I do it at least once a day.” Jongdae continued, earning a slap in the arm from Baekhyun.   


“How’s Minseok doing, anyways?” Junmyeon asked, changing the topic.   


“Doctor says he’s doing well.” Jongdae said, changing his tone of voice. He sounded much sadder and solemn. “He was conscious for a bit, but didn’t say or do much. He’s sleeping now- the doctor said he should be able to be released tomorrow.”    


“Are you sure he’s sleeping?” Kris asked. “He looks pretty zonked out to me.”   


Jongdae nodded. “If you listen he’s snoring a little, and he’s drooling.” He gestured to his agape mouth. “He only does that when he sleeps.”   


“Sometimes I forget that you’ve known Minseok for so long.” Baekhyun commented.    


“How long have you known each other?” Kris asked.   


“Eighteen years?” Jongdae replied, shrugging. “I haven’t really been keeping count.”   


“I always knew you two would end up together.” Baekhyun said. “I’ll called it first year, didn’t I?”   


“As much as I love him, it’s been causing me a lot of stress and worry lately.” Jongdae admitted, and Junmyeon noticed Jongdae’s hand wrapped tightly around Minseok’s, who laid limp in his palm.   


“You heard the doctor.” Chanyeol consoled. “He’ll be okay by tomorrow.”   


“Yeah.” Kris added. “Everyone gets hospitalized because of drugs at least once.”   


“Kris, what the fuck?” Chanyeol said, everyone giving him a look of confusion.   


“I don’t know what you’re doing in China or Canada or wherever else you’ve lived, but it doesn’t work like that here, hon.” Junmyeon told him. Kris just shrugged.   


“Anyways,” Jongdae said, reeling the conversation back in. “That’s not exactly what I’m worried about. I mean, it has been causing a lot of worry, but I’m mostly stressed and shit because of him leaving.”   


“You’re that shitty of a boyfriend?” Kris wondered.   


“You just said you fucked each other every night.” Baekhyun added.   


“He didn’t tell you?” Jongdae questioned, his expression unreadable- a mixture of confusion, pride, and hurt. The group shook their heads, frowning. No one had told them anything. “Oh.” Jongdae muttered, looking down at his lap. “Minseok’s uh, he’s leaving. He’s been relocated to Russia for his job.”   


“Oh my god, DaeDae, I’m so sorry.” Baekhyun said, throwing his arms around Jongdae again.    


No one said anything after that, everyone allowing the silence to ring throughout the room.   


“It’s okay, though.” Jongdae said, breaking the silence. He sniffed, swiping at his eyes. “We’ll make it work. I’m way hotter than any Russian and I’d wait for Minseok, no longer how long it took. And it’s only a year. It’s not that long. And I’ll be busy with school.” he spoke as if he was still trying to convince even himself of these things.    


“Right!” Baekhyun exclaimed excitedly. “You’ll be busy trying to keep up with me. This is gonna be our best, most wild year yet. Even Luhan will be wishing he was back here.”   


“Good.” Jongdae replied. “I’ll need all the distractions I can get.”   


“I think a little distraction will be good for Baekhyun, too.” Chanyeol chimed in.   


“We could all use a distraction every once in awhile.” Junmyeon mused. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations;  
> La casa Byun (The Byun House, Spanish)  
> Gracias (Thank you; Spanish)  
> Pinche pendejo (Fucking asshole/idiot, Spanish)  
> Mon Dieu (My God, French)
> 
> Links;  
> Day One (Victims of sexual assault) https://dayoneservices.org/date-rape/  
> Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (Drug use and addiction) http://www.ccdus.ca/Eng/Pages/Addictions-Treatment-Helplines-Canada.aspx  
> Kids Help Phone (General help) https://kidshelpphone.ca/


	44. [LIAR] XV / Ami La Nuit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Medium language

_ -Day 35; Friday, July 14th, 2017- _

The five sat in Kim Minseok’s hospital room awhile longer, all slowly filing out after Kris Wu decided to call it a night for Kim Junmyeon and he when the former began falling asleep on his shoulder.   


Byun Baekhyun had arranged to leave with Park Chanyeol, and the two had managed to persuade Kim Jongdae to leave Kim Minseok’s side for the night and get some sleep.   


“It’s like, two in the morning.” Junmyeon had mumbled into Kris’ shoulder, rubbing his cheek.   


“Do you want us to drop you off somewhere?” Baekhyun had asked, turned around in the passenger seat of Chanyeol’s car to face Jongdae. “Or do you want to come home with me?”   


“Just drop me off at Min’s.” Jongdae said. “I’ll be fine for the night.”   


“Are you sure?” Chanyeol asked, glancing back at Jongdae through the rear view mirror. Jongdae nodded.   


“You call me if you need anything, okay?” Baekhyun told him. “I don’t like leaving you alone, but I trust you. No taking the bus and going back after we leave, got it? Wait until at least nine tomorrow to go back.”   


“I won’t, Baekkie, I promise. I’m tired, anyways, and I’m not sleeping in a chair. I’d sooner push Minseok out of the bed. Even though I wouldn’t really want to sleep in a hospital bed. And I want to get some of Minseok’s things, anyways.”    


“I swear, DaeDae, if I find out you went anyways-”    


“I’m not! Gosh, Baekhyun.” Jongdae whined as Chanyeol pulled out front Minseok’s. “I’ll talk to you later, you losers.” he clambered out of the car, and they waited until they saw the door shut behind Jongdae and the living room light flick on before rolling out and back onto the road.   


“We’re going to your place.” Baekhyun said once the house was out of his sights. “I brought my bag.”   


“Had a feeling that’s what it was for.” Chanyeol laughed and reached over, laying a hand on Baekhyun’s thigh. “Baekkie, I have something to tell you.”   


“Hm?” Baekhyun asked. He was used to Chanyeol saying that phrase- he often used it to lead into a horrible joke or topic Baekhyun pretended to find really interesting.   


“I’m leaving.” he said plainly, and a million thoughts ran through Baekhyun’s mind. Was that another Broadway joke he didn’t get?   


“You’re breaking up with me?” Baekhyun spat, that being the first coherent thought that came to mind.   


“What? No!” Chanyeol exclaimed, panicking and swerving slightly, as if he had just hit an unexpected pothole or trying to avoid hitting a squirrel.   


“Don’t do that.” Baekhyun hissed, wrapping his hand tightly around Chanyeol’s arm.   


“Sorry, sorry.” Chanyeol muttered. “But no, that’s not what I meant. No, I’m not breaking up with you. That’s like, the last thing I want right now.” he gave Baekhyun’s thigh a reassuring squeeze. “What I meant is that I decided to do the abroad program this year. Not decided, really- Mieun submitted my-”    


“Mieun?” Baekhyun repeated, disgust lacing his tongue. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.    


“She thought it’d be good for me.”    


“Mieun also thought I wasn’t real.” Baekhyun muttered under his breath.   


“I heard that.”   


“Good.”   


“Baekkie, are you mad?”   


Was he mad? He felt a million things, still trying to process their situation. He thought a million things, worries and fears and joys and disappointments. He felt a million things, just as Park Chanyeol always made him do.   


“No.” Baekhyun said plainly. “Where are you going?”   


“Canada.” Chanyeol answered. “U of T.”   


“U of T?”   


“University of Toronto. I’m taking the music program there.”    


“Cool.”   


“‘Cool’? That’s all you have to say? About all of this?” Chanyeol asked.   


“I don’t know.” Baekhyun mumbled. “I’m still processing, I guess.” He was. He didn’t know what to think.    


He didn’t like the idea of Chanyeol leaving, but he knew what the abroad program was like, especially this late in their years- he’d likely only be gone for a semester, maybe both if he was lucky. He was glad Chanyeol got to do this, though too. He knew how much trouble Chanyeol had picking and sticking to a major, something he was good at and wanted to pursue and be comfortable in. He knew Chanyeol loved music and the theatre, and hoped the program would benefit him. He knew it’d look good on a resume, too.   


“That means we have to talk, though.” Chanyeol said, pulling into his driveway. He parked the car and stalled the engine, but neither made an effort he exit the vehicle.   


“What are we doing right now?” Baekhyun questioned, a smile playing on his lips.   


“You know what I mean, Baekkie.” Chanyeol said, allowing himself a small smile. His hand still laid on Baekhyun’s thigh. “We’ll still be okay?”   


Baekhyun looked Chanyeol right in the eyes, reading the worry and pleading that were trapped within them.   


“I can’t say for sure, Yeol.” Baekhyun sighed after a moment. “You have to remember I’m not in the best place right now and it takes a bit longer for me to... _ get _ everything.” he looked away from Chanyeol.   


“I get it, I get it.” Chanyeol reassured, running his hand up and down his thigh. “Don’t worry too much about it, okay? I wanted to let you know. Give you time.”   


Baekhyun gave Chanyeol a small smile. “Thank you.” he whispered, looking down.   


Chanyeol leaned forward, kissing Baekhyun on the lips.    


It was a small kiss, what one could call a smooch, and didn’t evolve into anything more like their kisses usually did. Chanyeol’s lips still felt the same as they always did- soft and kissable.    


“Why don’t we go inside?” Chanyeol asked. “You’re tired.”   


“And hungry.” Baekhyun added, climbing out.   
  
~•~   
  


A few hours later, Baekhyun laid in Chanyeol’s bed, the latter cuddled against him, asleep.   


Baekhyun however, was still awake. He hadn’t been able to sleep a bit that night, despite being dead tired.   


It was nearing quarter to five in the morning when Baekhyun finally gave up on sleep and reached over for his phone, turning the brightness down and angling it away as to not wake Chanyeol.   


He scrolled through his feed for a while, looking at useless shit and things he didn’t even find funny. It was dead. Everyone was asleep, and those who would be awake he didn’t dare disturb.    


Except one.   
  
  


**baekthosebyuns** : you up?    
  


He replied almost immediately.   
  


**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : ofc    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : it’s very hard to sleep on a boat   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : ever tried?   
**baekthosebyuns** : no, and by the sounds of it I don’t really wanna    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : shouldn’t you be asleep?    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : you’re not on a boat   
**baekthosebyuns** : can’t. the past few hours have been too much for me to sleep    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : I get it    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : how’s he doing anyways   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : I’d come visit if I could but I’m in the middle of the ocean    
**baekthosebyuns** : how’s who doing?   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : your brother. Minseok. Chanyeol. Jongdae. Obama. However you want to interpret it.   
**baekthosebyuns** : still comatose but stable, sleeping and said to be released tomorrow (today now I guess?? Idk), sleeping, stress sleeping, and good I hope    
**baekthosebyuns** : I love Obama I’d let him ride me   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : I’d like to bake him a nice cake 🎂 

**baekthosebyuns** : you should make me a cake sometime    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : why tho    
**baekthosebyuns** : because I’m asking and you like me enough to make me one    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : that reason is very hard to argue with    
**baekthosebyuns** : and remember that time I paid for your lunch? Let you into your dorm when you were too high to figure out how to get the key into the lock? Brought you alcohol to drink through your hangover?   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : okay okay you got me as soon as I get off this damn boat I’ll make you a cake I’ll even decorate it all pretty    
**baekthosebyuns** : O(∩_∩)O~   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : (●°u°●) 」

**baekthosebyuns** : (⁎⁍̴̛ᴗ⁍̴̛⁎)   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : I have something to show you    
**baekthosebyuns** : ??   
_ /zhxngyixingicorn🦄 sent a photo/ _   
**baekthosebyuns** : is that the sunrise??

**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : Yes I think it is very pretty over the water 

**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : it’s prettier irl the picture doesn’t do it justice    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : idk I thought you’d like it    
**baekthosebyuns** : I do    
**baekthosebyuns** : I love all the different colours in it    
**baekthosebyuns** : put that on my cake    
_ /baekthosebyuns took a screenshot/ _   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : feeling sleepy now?    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : I appreciate you talking to me but I think you should get at least a little bit of sleep    
**baekthosebyuns** : thanks yixing 

**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : sleep well Baekhyun 

**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : remember they’re not strangers if they say their name first    
**baekthosebyuns** : good night yixing    
  


 

Baekhyun clicked his phone off, putting it to the side and wiggling down into the bed, pressing himself against Chanyeol.   


Chanyeol didn’t move much in his sleep, but when he felt Baekhyun against him he moved to lean into him, his arm becoming tighter around him.    


Chanyeol was warm, and a hand against his chest allowed Baekhyun to feel his heartbeat beneath his thin tee shirt.   


Feeling and listening to that, Chanyeol’s gentle, rhythmic heartbeat, like the drum kit Chanyeol kept in the corner of his room, lulled Baekhyun to sleep.    


It was that feeling leaving that jolted Baekhyun awake. “Yeol?” he called out.   


“Sh-h.” Chanyeol hushed, his hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder. “You go back to sleep. It’s okay.”   


“What are you doing?” Baekhyun asked groggily.   


“Are you hungry?”   


“What are you doing?”   


“Cooking if you’re hungry.”    


“Will you make pancakes?”   


“Mhm.” Chanyeol hummed. “Now go back to sleep. You were up late last night.”   


How did Chanyeol know that? Was he not really sleeping?    


Baekhyun shook his head. “I’m up, I’m up.” Baekhyun slid out of bed, slipping on a pair of pants and sliding his phone in his back pocket before following Chanyeol into the kitchen, where he was already clambering around, much to Park Mieun’s protest.   


“You’re too loud.” she barked. “Why don’t you just go and pick something up? Or have something less loud, like cereal? You can’t burn that.”   


“Baekhyun likes pancakes.” Chanyeol said, shrugging his sister off. Neither noticed Baekhyun lingering in the corner, afraid to interject.   


“Who gives a shit about Baek A Yeon?” Mieun commented.   


“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol corrected, annoyed. “And he said he was hungry.”   


“So what are you gonna do, chuck them over there and hope they land in his mouth?” Mieun asked. “Drive them over cold?”   


“Wake him up again when I’m done.” Chanyeol said, gesturing towards the door with his head. Baekhyun darted back behind the door, still listening but out of sight.    


“He’s here?”   


“Mhm. He wanted to.”   


“Since when did you leave? When did you come home?”   


“Left at about midnight. I left a note. I had to pick up Jongdae and take him to the hospital. Came back at around two? Two-thirty?”   


“And Baekhyun fits into this...how?”   


“We met him, Kris, and Junmyeon at the hospital. Baekhyun’s best friend is Jongdae- of course he was there.”   


Baekhyun heard Mieun sigh and click her tongue. “Whatever. I don’t want you leaving that late again though, okay?”   


“It was an emergency.” Chanyeol argued.    


“I don’t care.”   


Before Mieun could argue anymore, Baekhyun emerged from his hiding spot, groggily walking up to Chanyeol and resting his head on his shoulder. “Are you done yet?” he whined, hearing Mieun’s footsteps thunder down the hall.   


“Not yet.” Chanyeol replied, wrapping an arm around his waist, causing Baekhyun to cuddle up even closer to him. “Almost, though.” he kissed the top of his forehead as Baekhyun felt the vibration of his phone in his back pocket.    


While Chanyeol moved to grab more ingredients and plates, Baekhyun leaned against the table behind them, digging out his phone.   
  


**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : you up?   
  


Baekhyun smiled to himself as his phone buzzed again, flashing more notifications.  
  


**not minseok✨** : hope you got home okay and stuff **  
** **not minseok✨** : heading to the hospital again now   
**not minseok✨** : he’s supposed to be released today    
**not minseok✨** : do you think they’ll let me bring a suitcase on the bus?   
**not minseok✨** : I didn’t know what to bring or what he wanted so I brought all choices    
  


Baekhyun quickly text both of them back.   
  


**baekthosebyuns** : yea, just got up a few minutes ago    
  


**baekthosebyuns** : got home okay!! get to the hospital safe ✨ I don’t see why they wouldn’t let you?? Just don’t throw it at anyone   
  


“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol called, waving a plate behind him. “Come and get it before I drop it.”   


Baekhyun reached forward, grabbing his plate and another for Chanyeol, setting them down on the table before seating himself, waiting for Chanyeol.   
  


**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : sleep well?   
**baekthosebyuns** : good, you?   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : mhm   
  


**not minseok✨** : I’ll throw it right at the bus driver   
**not minseok✨** : that’s sure to let me on    
**baekthosebyuns** : do it I dare you    
  


“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol said, as if he had said it a million times. He laid his fingers on the top of Baekhyun’s phone, near the camera, gently tipping it down. He now sat across from Baekhyun. “Hi.”   


“Hi.” Baekhyun said, smiling.   


“Eat.” Chanyeol ordered. “Put the phone down.”   


“Sorry.” he muttered, clicking his phone off and setting it to the side. “I was texting Jongdae.”   


“What’d he say?” Chanyeol asked as Baekhyun put a piece of his pancake in his mouth.   


“He’s heading to the hospital.” he said, his mouthful.    


They made small talk, Chanyeol explaining more about the abroad program. It was mainly things Baekhyun already knew from the program being advertised so much around school, and a few things Chanyeol himself wanted.   


“I want to see a hockey game.” he said. “And a basketball game. And a concert. Montreal isn’t far from Toronto- I want to go there and go to a cafe or something. I want to go to a museum, too. Doesn’t have to be in Montreal.”   


“Isn’t Kris from Canada?” Baekhyun asked as his phone buzzed again, and he reached over to check who it was.   
  


**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : can I ask you a question please?   
  


**not jongdae✨** : I think he’ll really appreciate it if I thunk him really hard over the head with a suitcase    
  


“Yeah, he’s from Vancouver though. That’s the other side of Canada.” Chanyeol added when he saw Baekhyun’s confused expression. “Is that Jongdae?”   


Baekhyun nodded. “One second.”   
  


**baekthosebyuns** : sure go ahead   
  


**baekthosebyuns** : make sure someone films it so I can see   
  


“Sorry, you were saying?” Baekhyun asked, setting his phone down again. Chanyeol’s gaze lingered on his phone and then flicked to his eyes.   


“I was just saying that Kris is from the other side of Canada.” Chanyeol said, standing up and collecting their plates, ditching them in the sink. “He said he’s been to Toronto and Montreal, though. He gave me a list of places I should check out. Do you know what a Budweiser Stage is?”   


“Isn’t that a beer? Is he sending you to a brewery?”   


“Beats me.” Chanyeol shrugged. “What do you want to do today?” he asked after a few moments, Baekhyun’s attention turned back to his phone and Chanyeol finished with the dishes.   


“I want you to teach me piano.” Baekhyun said, looking up from his phone. “You promised.”   


“Here.” Chanyeol said, smiling and holding out his hand. Baekhyun set his phone down on the table and took his hand, letting Chanyeol lead him down into the basement, a place in the house Baekhyun hadn’t been nor seen anyone go down into.   


It was furnished, but colder. Chanyeol flicked the lights on to reveal the walls painted a deep red, almost like the colour of brick. A television was mounted to the wall, a tall shelf lined with plastic movie cases and VCRs was placed beside it, another filled with books placed on the other side.    


A sofa and a chair were placed in front of the television, outlines in the carpet being the only thing that separated them. The outlines were seemingly from a coffee table, which had been dragged to the side and abandoned.   


On the far side of the room was a door, and one could tell Chanyeol spent the most time down here than the other household members as a few pop cans and food wrappers dotted the floor around guitars positioned by the wall and an electric piano pushed against the wall beside it.    


“Don’t mind those.” Chanyeol muttered, pushing a food wrapper away with his toe. “Here.” he slid onto the piano bench, and Baekhyun sat beside him, his legs slung over his and leaning into his chest. “How much do you know?”   


“I can play one song.” Baekhyun said, sticking his pointer finger up. “From memory.”   


“What song?”   


“ _ Moon of Seoul _ .”   


“Show me.” Chanyeol said, grinning and tucking his chin on Baekhyun’s shoulder.   


Carefully, Baekhyun laid his hands on the keys, pressing gently as he began to play, letting his memory take over and his fingers do the work, dancing lightly over the keys.   


“You’re so beautiful.” Chanyeol whispered when he finished, kissing the crook of his neck.   


“Now you show me something.” Baekhyun said softly, returning his kiss on the cheek.   


Chanyeol laid his hands over Baekhyun’s, completely encasing them.    


Gentler than one would expect with hands so large and calloused from years of running over thick metal strings, Chanyeol began to softly guide Baekhyun’s hands over the keys, delicately pressing his fingers into the chords.   


He sang softly into Baekhyun’s ear, his breath tickling his neck. “ _ Baby really hurt me, crying in the taxi, _ ”   


Baekhyun barely understood a word he sang, but loved the sound of it- Chanyeol’s voice sounded beautiful as per usual, relaxing and soothing to the ear. He played the piano effortlessly, as if he had written this piece himself. The piano suited the song well- highlighting the deepness of Chanyeol’s voice and the soft, mellow drive of the song.   


Baekhyun had heard Chanyeol sing many times. The latter hummed and sang while he worked or was bored, and there had been his fair share of nights that Chanyeol had sung Baekhyun to sleep, and times where Baekhyun had asked Chanyeol to sing for him, filling in the silence.   


However, he hadn’t heard Chanyeol sing anything like this before. Chanyeol’s favourite song at the moment was _RENT_ ’s _One Song Glory_ , but Baekhyun loved it when he sang _Heathers’_ _Freeze Your Brain_ , both of which he often accompanied himself on the guitar with.   


“That didn’t sound like a musical.” Baekhyun said when he finished, turning to look him in the eye. Was it one he hadn’t heard before? That French one he fell asleep during the movie of?   


Chanyeol just laughed, kissing his cheek. “That’s because it wasn’t.” He explained. “It’s a new song-  _ Liability,  _ Lorde.”    


“It’s pretty.” Baekhyun said. “Teach me, teach me!” he exclaimed excitedly, wiggling his fingers and then laying them flat on the keys.   


“Okay, okay.” Chanyeol said, laughing again. “Here. Start with your hands like this,” He re-positioned Baekhyun’s fingers over the keys. “and start with these notes.”   
  


**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : well it’s more of a favour    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : can you go online for me and send me my application letter? I can’t get onto the site 😭😣 I’ll send you my username and password    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : you don’t have to if you don’t want to    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : actually that’s a lie I do have a question I mean I would still like you to do that if you can but I have an actual question for you   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : how do you tell if someone likes you? like more than a friend? idk the korean for it I tried to translate it but I’m pretty sure it gave me a cuss word   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : at least I’ve heard Jongdae and Minseok use it as a curse word    
  


 

**not minseok✨** : he’s awake oh god    
**not minseok✨** : we’re leaving soon he’s fine baekkie he’s gonna be great   
**not minseok✨** : wanna know how I know?    
**not minseok✨** : cause the first thing he did when he saw me was cuss me out (dunno what he said, I think it was German??) and tell me off for not leaving his phone with him    
**not minseok✨** : and then he asked if I fed the cat, cussed me out some more, and then cried


	45. [THE LONG GAME] XV / The Minseok Effect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; mentions of violence; drug mentions; implied sexual references

_ -Day 45; Friday, July 14th, 2017- _

Stepping into the house, Kim Jongdae flipped on the main light, illuminating the kitchen and the living room.   


With a sigh, he removed his shoes, picking them up and moving to them to the side, placing them beside a pair of Minseok’s.   


They looked normal placed beside Minseok’s, as if that was their proper spot. Jongdae could tell Oh Sehun would throw a fit, as the spotless white sneakers clashed with the brown dress shoes, mud splashed up the sides.   


It was weird, he knew, but Jongdae felt this tiny detail of the way their home was laid out to be so normal yet out of place- it was borderline abnormal seeing Minseok’s shoes beside his but no Minseok.   


Jongdae had never been completely alone (or awake) in the house at this time of night, and the eeriness and emptiness of it seemed to settle in upon his shoulders.   


As he walked further into the house, preparing for bed, he felt as if the walls were slowly closing in around him and everything was sucking the life out of him.   


Minseok’s flashcards, stacked nicely on the dresser, made him feel as if he was being watched, and Jongdae ended up tucking them into the sock drawer as he changed.    


The neat rows and organization of Minseok’s shirts hanging in the closet freaked him out so much he brought a chair in from the kitchen and pushed it against the closet doors, as if he was a small child afraid of the monster in the closet.   


Jongdae ended up throwing Minseok’s toothbrush out into the trash, feeling as if it was screaming out to him while he quickly brushed his own.    


For what was probably the first and only time, Jongdae scrubbed the bathroom counter down. There was nothing wrong with the counter, there never was- Minseok was such a clean freak he gave it a wipe-down every night- and Jongdae felt as if it was his job to fill in for Minseok.   


As Jongdae was ditching the majority of the usual bedding in the living room, leaving nothing but the duvet cover and fitted sheet, Jongdae heard a scratching at the door.   


_ Shit _ was the only word continuously racing through his mind as he heard the picking at the screen door, a sound so relentless he crossed over into the kitchen and dug out a knife.   


_ It’s okay, Jongdae _ . he thought as he carefully approached the door.  _ You’re a grown ass man. You can fend for yourself. It’s just the door. Probably the wind.  _   


He carefully opened the door, the knife held in front of him. Jongdae winced as he opened his eyes to meet his murderer, but relaxed immediately when he glanced down and saw the stray, grey tabby cat pawing at the door and mewing, its claws getting caught in the screen door as it begged for attention.   


Jongdae reached over and placed the knife on the counter, and then turned back and opened the door. “Come here, kitty kitty kitty.” he cooed, making kissy noises, trying to lure the cat inside. “Are you hungry?” he continued, speaking as if he were talking to a baby.   


He propped the door open and went over to the fridge, filling the bottom of a small bowl with milk and coming back over to the door, laying the bowl on the kitchen tile away from him at arm's length.   


The cat immediately took its cue and made its way inside, and Jongdae shut and locked the door before sitting beside the cat as it dipped its paw into the milk and licked it off its paw.   


“Are you lonely?” Jongdae asked, placing his hand above the cat’s nose to give it a moment to smell him before running his hand down its head and across its back, repeating the motion. “I’m kinda lonely, too. This house seems very empty without Minseok. You know him- he’s the one that always sets out food for you. Sometimes I do it, but he says I don’t do it right.” he laughed at himself, and hearing his laugh echo off the kitchen walls and not have it returned by the light, familiar laugh of Minseok’s hit Jongdae in the face.    


It not only let Jongdae know that he should’ve been asleep hours ago (preferably with Minseok in bed beside him), but that he was about to go delirious from no sleep, or ‘sleep drunk’ as he called it.    


“You can sleep with me tonight, pretty kitty.” Jongdae gently scooped the grey tabby up into his arms and bringing it over to the bedroom where he released it onto the bed, where it immediately settled down at the end of the bed. “We’ll get you a proper bath tomorrow after we get Minnie, okay?” he said, running his hand down it’s back again. “And we’ll find out your name and whether you’re a boy or a girl kitty. I’d check, but that’d be invading your privacy and I’m not a pervert.”   


Yep, he was definitely sleep drunk.   


Sleep came easily to Jongdae, almost immediately as he settled into the bed, facing the wall as he couldn’t bear to see the emptiness of the other side of the bed.   
  
~•~   
  


Jongdae slept through Minseok’s alarm (which he had forgotten to turn off the night before), and was awoken at close to eight in the morning by the cat standing on his chest, pawing and nipping at his nose and mewing in his face.   


“You’re that kind of cat, huh?” Jongdae groaned, gently setting the cat on the floor before rolling out of bed himself.   


He stalked into the kitchen, yawning as he set another bowl of milk out for the cat, which was quickly overturned.   


“I don’t have any actual cat food.” Jongdae told it, peeling off his milk-soaked socks and laying down paper towel to mop up the mess. “There’s some leftover turkey here- have at her.”    


He had made his way back to the fridge, and had replaced the bowl of milk with a few slices of turkey, which the cat happily ate.   


After feeding himself and changing, turning and tucking away more of Minseok’s things as he did so, Jongdae dragged a suitcase out of the spare closet in the hall and into their room, setting it on the floor.   


“What do you think he wants to wear?” Jongdae asked the cat, who was laying on the handles of the suitcase. “Red or blue?” He held two different shirts up. The cat ignored him. “Red it is, then.” Jongdae muttered, tossing the shirt into the suitcase, along with a handful of other clothes.   


“You be good while I’m gone, okay?” Jongdae cooed, stroking the cat as he slipped his shoes on in the threshold, the suitcase with Minseok’s things tightly packed and parked upright near him. “Hope they let me bring this on the bus.”   


And with that he lugged the suitcase down the block to the bus stop, and tried to ignore what he felt were intrusive stares from passerby by texting Byun Baekhyun.   
  


**not minseok✨** : hope you got home okay and stuff   
**not minseok✨** : heading to the hospital again now   
**not minseok✨** : hes supposed to be released today    
**not minseok✨** : do you think they’ll let me bring a suitcase on the bus?   
**not minseok✨** : I didn’t know what to bring or what he wanted so I brought all choices    
**baekthosebyuns** : got home okay!! get to the hospital safe ✨ I don’t see why they wouldn’t let you?? Just don’t throw it at anyone   
**not jongdae✨** : I think he’ll really appreciate it if I thunk him really hard over the head with a suitcase    
  


 

While he waited for a reply from Baekhyun, he silently observed those around him.   


There was yelling from a young couple across the street, the man yelling at his presumed girlfriend while she climbed into her car.   


Two houses down to the right, five children played in the yard, breaking plastic shovels and filthying themselves in mud, digging for worms while their mother smoked on the porch, a magazine in hand.   


Across the street, further down the block, a man threw up into someone’s mailbox, and a girl walked briskly down the sidewalk, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, large sunglasses covering most of her face. A keyed car was parked in the driveway she had just walked down, red splashed up the side of her dark leggings and boots.   


Kim Jongdae knew the neighbourhood wasn’t the best. He himself had grown up in one of those suburban cul-de-sacs, where he was outside playing with the other children in the neighbourhood to come home to cookies and lemonade from his mom.   


Kim Jongdae also knew Minseok grew up in a neighbourhood the complete opposite from him, and the neighbourhood Minseok lived in now was the only thing Minseok knew (and could afford). It was fortunate for the both of them that Minseok knew how to handle these areas and people, as they still scared Jongdae shitless.   


Jongdae had only been to Minseok’s twice as a child. The first time, he had only met Minseok’s older brother, Kim Jonggi, who had called the two inside after they had heard yelling from next door, words Jongdae hadn’t heard before but was urged by both brothers not to repeat. He was not allowed to go upstairs or play with the glass bottles dotted around the filthy kitchen.   


After that visit, Jongdae had asked his own mother that night why he wasn’t allowed to do those things, things he was easily allowed to do at his own home. His mother had calmly explained to him that rules were put in place to keep people safe, and the rules were different at Minseok’s to keep him safe there. He didn’t understand why he wasn’t safe upstairs until the next time he visited.    


It was raining outside the second time, and so Jonggi allowed Jongdae and Minseok to play inside, but they had to be quiet. Jongdae didn’t take too kindly to that as he was a loud child (still is, quite frankly), but obeyed anyway.    


An hour or so into his visit, the three boys heard clanging upstairs- things being knocked over and glass shattering. Another word Jongdae was not allowed to repeat was yelled loudly. Jonggi had asked if Jongdae knew his mother’s number, if he would be okay with going home early and that if it was okay, Minseok could go with him, but Jongdae was not very good at remembering things, let alone phone numbers.    


Minseok seemed to shrink away as the messy-haired woman came stumbling down the stairs, a glass bottle clutched in one hand and her other hand wrapped around the banister. Her hair was a mess, as if she hadn’t brushed or washed it in a week. She wore a faded yellow tank top, and if Jongdae was any older he’d stand on tiptoe and try and peer down the already revealing and sagging neckline.   


“Who’s this kid?” was the first thing she demanded, gesturing at him with her bottle. He felt his body freeze, that ‘stranger danger’ feeling installed in him.   


“He’s my friend, Mother.” Minseok said quietly, taking a step forward so he stood between Jongdae and his mother.   


His mother went on to yell, but her words were so slurred and indecipherable that Jongdae was unsure they were speaking the same language. Both of her sons argued back, attempting to calm her down.   


But as the woman smashed her bottle against the wall, sending glass flying, Jonggi had grabbed a pair of keys and ripped both Minseok and Jongdae out of the house, shoving them both into the backseat of a car.    


Minseok slept over at Jongdae’s house that night.   


Jongdae always asked his mother about why Minseok’s house was different than his- “Why do I never see Min’s mom?” “Why does Jonggi take Minnie everywhere, Mom?” “Why do I have to clean up? They don’t at Minseok’s.” “Why do I have to be quiet at Minseok’s?”   


His mother gave him the same just of an explanation every time- Minseok’s house was different than his because different homes work differently, and they did things different there to keep him safe. He would understand when he was older.   


And he did. As he grew older pieces of understanding seemed to fit in and click together, and he understood rules like the quiet rule as he hid in Minseok’s bedroom one evening, back pressed against the wall while Minseok stood at the door. Jongdae didn’t know what the neighbour wanted, but had caught expletives, yelling, and Minseok telling her to put ‘it’ down, whatever ‘it’ was.   


Jongdae shook his thoughts off as the bus pulled up, flashed his bus pass to the driver, and lugged the suitcase up the stairs.   


The bus was mainly empty, two girls chattering in the back and a man asleep near them.   


As the bus driver began to close the doors and pull away, a hand darted between them.   


“Wait!” a voice called out, and the driver opened the doors, and a woman clambered on board. Her lips were painted a bright red, her hair bleached. She made her way down the bus and sat across from Jongdae.   


Trying to avoid any social interaction, again, Jongdae busied himself with his phone, finally receiving a reply from Baekhyun.  
  


**baekthosebyuns** : make sure someone films it so I can see   
  


 

Jongdae typed a reply, but thought twice and deleted it.    


“Whatcha got there?” the girl asked, and Jongdae shot up, blinking at her. She gestured to the suitcase with her head.   


“A suitcase.” Jongdae said lamely. He noticed she was wearing blue eye contacts.   


“What’s in the suitcase?”   


“Clothes.” he replied bluntly.    


“You going somewhere?” she talked through the sucker in her mouth. Surprisingly, she spoke clearly.   


“Sort of. They’re not mine.”   


“Do we have a thief in our hands than?”   


“No, no.” Jongdae said quickly, shaking his hands in protest. “No, they’re from my home, they’re just not mine-”   


The girl cut him off with a curt laugh. “It’s fine. It seems everyone around here’s done something bad. Even I. I killed a man once.” She must’ve seen Jongdae’s face pale as she laughed again. “I’m just kidding. You’re quite gullible.”   


He laughed nervously, ducking his head. This girl was a little overbearing, and Jongdae was not in the mindset for it. But perhaps a distraction was what he needed. That’s what Kim Junmyeon had said last night, wasn’t it? That they all needed a distraction?   


“I guess you could say that.” he muttered.   


“So, Mr. Suitcase.” the girl said, taking the sucker out of her mouth. “Where are you headed? Airport?”   


Jongdae shook his head. “Hospital.”   


“Checking yourself in?”   


He shook his head again. “Checking on my boyfriend. We had a bit of an...accident at a bar last night.”    


“You two argue?”    


“No. He was drugged.”    


“Did you drug him?”   


“Hell no. I would never. I don’t even know how I would drug him, let alone get the drugs. And I have no reason to! If I was that desperate for a fuck I’d just tell him.”   


“Maybe you wanted to kill him.” she commented, placing the sucker back in her mouth and looking him up and down.   


“I would never!” Jongdae cried, getting defensive.    


He was used from remarks like this from Baekhyun- he knew Baekhyun, and he knew that Baekhyun was joking. But he didn’t know this girl. Perhaps she was planning on murdering him. Oh Hades, what had he gotten himself into? He should’ve just called Park Chanyeol for a ride again. Or Baekhyun or Junmyeon or Kris Wu or goddamn Huang Zitao or even fucking Do Kyungsoo or Jung Hoseok, whoever the fuck he was.    


“He’s my best friend. I owe him everything. I would never kill him, no matter how mad I may be at him.”   


The girl laughed again, stood up and crossed the aisle, taking a seat beside him. She stuck her hand out. “Give me your phone.”    


“No.” He held his phone close to his chest, but she just reached over and plucked it easily out of his hands anyways.   


She tapped around on it for a moment, and then reached up and pulled on the stop chord. “I’ll see you later, Kim Jongdae.” she whispered, leaning in and tracing a hand across his cheek.    


She dropped his phone in his lap and made her way off the bus, leaving Jongdae in a stunned silence.   


He picked his phone up after a moment, and his screen displayed a new contact.   
  


Lee Jooeun //  _ @bunbunjooeun _   
  
~•~   
  


“Minnie?” Jongdae asked gingerly, half-stepping into the room.   


“DaeDae?” Minseok called out, and Jongdae rushed into the room, ditching the suitcase at the foot of the bed and grabbing his hand. It was the usual cold that Minseok’s hands were, and he held it to the side of his face.   


“I was so fucking worried, Minnie.” Jongdae breathed, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I thought you were dead or dying or-”

“ _ Fick dich _ .” Minseok snapped, ripping his hand away. “ _ Fick dich _ , Jongdae!”   


This was not the reaction Jongdae was expecting. He felt himself break, the smile playing at his lips fall.   


“I hate you!” Minseok shouted.   


“It wasn’t me, Min!” Jongdae yelled back, but Minseok ignored him.   


“The least you could’ve done is leave me with my phone.” he muttered. “I don’t even know how long I’ve been here for. What time is it? I’ve been bored out of my mind! And because I didn’t check myself in, I can’t leave until someone signs off on shit, which you should’ve done when you checked me in! Fuck you!”   


“Later, okay Min?” Jongdae said, his smile reappearing. He grabbed Minseok’s hand again, and this time he didn’t rip his hand away.   


“Did you feed Tan?” he asked, much calmer than he was a few seconds before.   


“Tan?” Jongdae asked, confused. Who the fuck was Tan?    


“The cat.” Minseok explained. “The grey one? Tan? Did you feed her?”   


Jongdae nodded. That made sense. “Yeah, I let her in. Didn’t know she had a name.”   


“I named her.” Minseok said, shifting around in the bed so he sat up. “Seriously though, Jongdae. Fuck you. I have no idea why I’m here, what happened, where you went-“ he cut himself off, sniffing and pawing at his eyes with his hands.   


“Sh-h.” Jongdae hushed, crawling up the bed to sit beside him, wrapping his arms around Minseok. “Sh-h.” Minseok shook slightly underneath him. “It’s okay. You’re okay. What’s the last thing you remember? I’ll try and explain it to you.”   


“Kim Seokjin. I definitely remember that. He called you out, and then you said you were a drug addict. And then-”   


“I’m not a drug addict, Min.” Jongdae whined.   


“And then you asked me something.” Minseok waved Jongdae off, and spoke more carefully now. “I don’t remember what it was, though. I don’t remember much after that. A lot of red. Like, Park Chanyeol red.”   


That made Jongdae laugh, and he kissed Minseok’s cheek. “Okay, well.” he sighed, playing with Minseok’s fingers. “You took a drink from someone. Park Miyeon, who I learned is not Chanyeol’s sister.” That got a little laugh out of Minseok. “I don’t know where she got it from, if someone gave it to her or if it was meant for you. It was drugged- they say you were roofied- and Miyeon tried to drag you away. That’s why I’m pretty sure it was her doing.    


“I noticed you weren’t feeling well and managed to get you out into the car, but then you passed out and I panicked and so Chanyeol came and picked us up and took us here. Junmyeon, Kris, and Baekhyun met us here awhile after that. We hung out here ‘till like, two, and then Chanyeol and Baekhyun drove me home and I took the bus back here this morning.”   


Minseok sat there for a moment, his head resting on Jongdae’s shoulder. He had stopped crying, and Jongdae reached over and swiped his thumb under Minseok’s eyes.   


“I’m glad you’re here.” Minseok murmured. “I missed you.”    


“I missed you, too.” Jongdae whispered, kissing his forehead.   


“Do we have any plans this weekend?”   


“I don’t think so. Why?”   


“I’m going to stay home all weekend.” This made Jongdae laugh. “We can watch one of your shows together or something.”   


“I’d like that very much.”   


Awhile later, Jongdae signed off on some papers to discharge Minseok. Minseok changed into some of the clothes Jongdae had brought, telling him off for bringing so much and how they could call a taxi instead of taking the bus.   


Despite cussing him out, Minseok still held Jongdae’s hand in an iron grip, afraid to let go.   


Minseok was quiet in the taxi, leaning against him with his eyes closed. Jongdae finally got around to texting Baekhyun back- he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.   
  


**not minseok✨** : he’s awake oh god    
**not minseok✨** : we’re leaving soon he’s fine baekkie he’s gonna be great   
**not minseok✨** : wanna know how I know? 

**not minseok✨** : cause the first thing he did when he saw me was cuss me out (dunno what he said, I think it was German??) and tell me off for not leaving his phone with him    
**not minseok✨** : and then he asked if I fed the cat, cussed me out some more, and then cried

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations;  
> Fick dich (Fuck you; German)


	46. [PURPLE] XV / Make What You Will

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language

_ -Day 45; Friday, July 14th, 2017- _

Kris Wu was fine with driving home from the hospital that night.   


He was fine with Junmyeon in the passenger seat, slumped over onto Kris’ shoulder, his eyes closed. Kris rested his hand on Junmyeon’s thigh, listening to his steady inhales and exhales.   


Kris kept the radio off, not wanting to risk playing anything and waking him. He even took the long way to the apartment, wanting to avoid the bumpy roads.   


Even when he pulled into the apartment parking lot, he still didn’t want to wake Junmyeon, so opted to carry him inside instead, praying that for whatever reason the elevator wasn’t down.   


Kris carried him bridal style, close to his chest, and fiddled with his keys and the lobby doors long enough that he was scared he’d either drop or wake Junmyeon.   


“Whatcha got there? Sleeping Beauty?” Bae Joohyun greeted. She was leaned over the front desk, a magazine sprawled out in front of her. The pink in the ends of her hair was fading out, muddled into a light pink-dark brown hybrid.   


“Close. Kim Junmyeon.” Kris remarked, grinning.   


“What’s your business with Junmyeon, anyway?” Joohyun asked, flipping a page in her magazine.   


“What do you mean?” Kris questioned, shifting Junmyeon around in his arms. Junmyeon wasn’t particularly heavy (Kris actually poked fun at him a lot for being underweight), but his weight was becoming a little straining on Kris’ arms.   


“Like, how do you know him?” Joohyun asked. “What’s your relationship with him? Why do you care about him? Why are you all over his social media? Why are you all he ever talks about? Why do you live with him? Why did you show up out of the blue and are suddenly all that? Who are you?”   


Jeez, and Kris thought he was the Criminology major. He knew interrogation sessions with less questions than that.   


“First, I’m his boyfriend.” Kris started. He saw Joohyun’s eyebrows shoot up. “I think that covers the rest of the questions, too.”    


“That doesn’t explain where you came from.”    


“Met him at school.” Kris said. Junmyeon moved around in his sleep, his hand coming up and resting on Kris’s chest, gripping onto the collar of his shirt and balling it into his fist.    


“We’ll talk more later.” Joohyun said, regarding Junmyeon. “Considering you’ve been around longer than I thought you’d be.”   


“What do you mean by that?” Kris said, a little taken aback. Should he be offended by that?   


“That we’ll talk tomorrow when it’s not like, three in the morning.” Joohyun blinked at him blankly.   


“No, the second part. That I’ve been around her longer than you thought I’d be.” Kris tried his best to keep accusation and any passive-aggressiveness out of his voice, but it was still there, underlying.   


“Junmyeon’s had quite a few people come in and out.” Joohyun said, flipping another page of her magazine. “No one’s ever stayed as long as you, though. They’re usually out within a week or so. Some just stay the night. I don’t know what they do and what they’re there for. Make what you will of it.”   


“Sure will.” Kris muttered, walking over to the elevator and jabbing the button. “Night, Joohyun.”   


_ Make what you will of it. _   


Those words echoed in his ears as he stood in the elevator, Junmyeon still asleep in his arms. They bounced around as he entered the apartment, and bothered him as he set Junmyeon down gently down on his side of the bed, unlatching his fingers from the collar of his shirt and then removing it.   


He joined Junmyeon in the bed, slinging his arm around him as he usually did.    


Joohyun’s words still prodded at him while he tried to sleep, keeping his heavy eyelids open and his mind alert.   


What did she mean by it? Why tell him? What did Junmyeon do with all these people? Is that why he froze up every time Kris poked fun at him, calling him ‘whore’ and ‘slut’?    


Had Joohyun been one of those people?   


He knew it was stupid, but he had always been wary of Joohyun. Not jealous, no, Wu Yifan did not get jealous, but wary, yes. She seemed close to Junmyeon, and Kris didn’t really like it, how casual it was.   


He also knew it was stupid to be mulling all these small, petty things over at three in the morning, allowing them into his head and planting deep enough roots to potentially endanger his relationship with Junmyeon.    


He knew he should be bringing these up with Junmyeon and talking them out rationally, but being so sleep deprived got the better of him.    


Kris fell asleep for a little bit, and when he awoke again it was still dark, his phone reading five am.   


_ Make what you will of it. _   


Those words kept at him, nagging and taunting at him in the back of his mind. He hated having to wake Junmyeon. The boy deserved his sleep, especially when he was able to sleep so peacefully.   
__

_ Fuck it. _   


“Junmyeon.” Kris whispered, moving in the bed to hover over Junmyeon, his hand on his forearm, jostling him slightly. “Junmyeon.”   


Junmyeon’s eyes opened slowly, and he squinted at Kris despite the darkness. “Kris?” he said hoarsely.   


“What does Joohyun mean when she says you’ve had ‘quite a few people come in and out’ of the apartment?” Kris asked.   


“What the?” Junmyeon said, confusion plastered across his face. He shook his head, covering his eyes with the back of his palm. “What time is it? Did I fall asleep?”   


“Five am.” Kris said. “And yeah, at the hospital you did and I didn’t want to wake you but now I have to. What does she mean?” Kris needed his answers, and now.   


“Fuck, Kris.” Junmyeon muttered. “I don’t know; I didn't even know you talked to her. We’ll talk about it in the morning.” He turned back over, meaning to go back to sleep, but Kris wrenched him back by the shoulder, making him face him.   


“It’s not that hard of a question, Junmyeon. What does she mean?”   


“If I answer will you let me go back to sleep?”   


Kris nodded.   


Junmyeon sighed. “What was the question again?”   


“What does Joohyun mean when she says you’ve had ‘quite a few people come in and out’ of the apartment?”    


“Bae Joohyun?”   


Kris nodded.   


“Fuck, Kris. Am I not allowed to have friends? I’ve had a few people crash here before. Can I go back to sleep now?”   


“She said they were usually out within the week. What does that mean?”   


“That no one stayed longer than a week, Kris!” Junmyeon was beginning to become agitated, Kris could sense that. But he needed this explained.    


“And who was it? Who’s stayed here?”   


“Since when did you care?”   


“Since I knew about it! Why didn’t you tell me? Are you hiding something from me?”   


Junmyeon sat up, regarding Kris furiously. “I’ve had a drunk Luhan stay the night.” he snapped, counting off on his fingers. “My mother’s set up shop here for a few days. My step brother’s stayed here for a night or two while he was passing through, and Kim Seokjin’s been here a few a times. That’s it. Anything else you want to interrogate me about while you’re at it?”   


“Yes, actually.” Kris said, matching Junmyeon’s fumes and crossing his arms. “You never talked about your family until I brought it up, and I didn’t even get to meet your mom until she showed up unexpectedly. Did you have ever have any intentions whatsoever if introducing them to me?”   


“Not really, no! I don’t get along that well with my family and I’ve known you for like, what? Two months?”   


“That’s usually when you bring someone home to meet your parents, Junmyeon!” Kris exclaimed. “You’d have met my mother by now if she wasn’t in a different fucking continent!”   


“What do you mean ‘bring someone home to meet your parents’? What are you, my boyfriend or something?”   


Junmyeon could’ve stabbed Kris 47 times in the chest with a chainsaw and ran him over and with a bus and it would’ve hurt less than that. Kris’ face dropped, and he could feel his heart breaking.   


“Yeah, at least that’s what I thought.” he whispered, swinging his legs over the bed and grabbing his pillow. “Good night, Kim Junmyeon. Sorry to wake you.”   


Kris left the bed and walked across the small hall to the room that was originally assigned to him. It felt sort of stuffy, having been unused for such a long time.   


“No, Kris, wait!” Junmyeon called out after him, quickly clambering out of the bed after him. “That’s not what I meant and you know it! It’s just that we’ve never...you know! We’ve never outright said anything!”   


Kris had every intention of shutting the door in his face and laying in the bed by himself that night. It’s not like he’d sleep, anyways, not after this. But Junmyeon’s words were becoming poison, swift kicks at Kris’ shins continuously.   


“What? I wasn’t enough for you? What I did for you and to you wasn’t enough for you to clue in?” Kris accused. “My constant ‘I love you’s? Next time I want something, I’ll outright say it instead of hoping you have enough common sense to clue in like any other normal person!”    


But Junmyeon wasn’t ‘any other normal person’, and Kris knew that.   


“I want to sleep now.” Kris said lamely, as if he were talking to a child. “Good night, Kim Junmyeon.” And Kris shut the door on him.   


“Yifan!” Junmyeon yelled, and Kris tensed up, using every ounce of his willpower not to turn around and open the door again. “Yifan, please, talk to me! You know that’s not what I meant! I’m sorry!”   


Kris knew he was going to regret it. But he ignored Junmyeon, settling himself into the bed.    


As he stretched his phone charger to the bed, he heard Junmyeon’s door shut.    


He didn’t know why he had left things like that with Junmyeon. He knew he only had a little time left with Junmyeon, and he was determined to make the best of it.   


He only had thirty three days left with Kim Junmyeon, after all.   


Make what you will of it.


	47. [LIAR] XVI / Anhedonia, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; implied sexual references

_ -Day 46; Saturday, July 15th, 2017- _

**baekthosebyuns** : if someone likes you as more than a friend they make excuses to talk to you and be with you and creep your insta    
_ /baekthosebyuns sent a photo/ _   
**baekthosebyuns** : that’s your application letter btw    
**baekthosebyuns** : now I have a question for you    
**baekthosebyuns** : have you ever been in a long distance relationship?   
  


Byun Baekhyun still didn’t know how to feel about Park Chanyeol leaving. He had found himself distancing himself from Yeol- despite the numerous offers to drive out to see him and take him places and buy him things and do things with him, Baekhyun had refused to see Park Chanyeol.   


He was content with camping out in his room, alone, watching Netflix and texting anyone but Yeol.    


He got a reply from Zhang Yixing two episodes later.    
  


**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : thanks    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : and depends on what you mean by long distance and relationship    
**baekthosebyuns** : like I’m a romantic/sexual relationship with someone and the two of you are far enough apart that you can’t physically touch or see each other

**baekthosebyuns** : like you’d have to fly to see them you can’t drive    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : if we’re not counting the one time Luhan and I thought we fucked but didn’t then no    
**baekthosebyuns** : that’s a story I wanna hear about later   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : okay   
**baekthosebyuns** : but rn I wanna know if you think long distance relationships work??

**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : it depends   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : i think if both people loved each other enough they could make it work and it’s totally possible but I also think that a lot of people get scared by the distance and it is something that throws a wrench in a relationship and can be hard to overcome    
**baekthosebyuns** : how do you know if a long distance relationship is worth it?   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : if you love him enough that you’re willing to overlook the distance    
**zhxngyixingicorn** 🦄: honestly Baekhyun the best advice I have for you is to give it a shot because who knows? Maybe the distance isn’t as bad as you think    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : at the same time Baekhyun you need to take a step back and look at your relationship    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : how does he make you feel? Did you feel better or worse after getting together with him? Do you think you’ll feel better or worse if you break it off with him?    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : if you’re already having doubts Baekhyun do you really love him?   
**baekthosebyuns** : thanks yixing    
**baekthosebyuns** : that sounds sarcastic I’m serious thank you    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : have a good day Baekhyun    
  


 

That’s not the answer Baekhyun was expecting. But Yixing did have a point.    


Baekhyun often needed advice on lots of things, and he had two friends he went to for advice- Kim Jongdae and Zhang Yixing.   


Kim Jongdae was easily one of his best friends. They thought a lot alike, but Jongdae was also quite wild and spontaneous, and instead of giving him plausible advice and rationalizing things, Jongdae often hyped him up to do things he shouldn’t (sleeping with Park Chanyeol in the first place was a prime example).    


Zhang Yixing, on the other hand, balanced it out- Yixing thought things through and rationalized. He made Baekhyun think and really look at things instead of throwing him head-first into situations.   


Perhaps he needed his balance on this situation and needed to talk to Jongdae.   


Perhaps what Baekhyun needed was for Jongdae to kick him in the back and yell at him to keep the dick he has instead of going out and prying for more.   


But Jongdae didn’t know about him and Chanyeol- he couldn’t possibly talk to him. Jongdae would see through those ‘for a friend’ or ‘hypothetically speaking’ excuses.    


No one knew about Baekhyun and Chanyeol.   


Not even Yixing.   


How did he know it was a ‘he’ Baekhyun was talking about?   
__

_ Since when were you two fucking? _ _   
_

Kris’ words popped into Baekhyun’s head, and he remembered that both Kris and Junmyeon had found out about him and Chanyeol.    


Baekhyun didn’t know Kris and Junmyeon too too well, but enough to trust them with this.    


Considering Jongdae’s texts a few nights ago, Junmyeon would give rational advice like Yixing, and Kris would be like Jongdae, bringing the irrational, erratic balance.   
  


_ /baekthosebyuns added galaxykris🌟 and kim junmyeon. to the chat/ _ _   
_ _ /baekthosebyuns named the chat ‘heLp’/ _ __   
**baekthosebyuns** : yO   
**kim junmyeon.** : are you okay?? are you dying??   
**baekthosebyuns** : no I need advice    
**galaxykris🌟** : Junmyeon is better at that than I am    
**kim junmyeon.** : i hope so I didn’t get a degree for nothing    
**baekthosebyuns** : have either of you ever been in a long distance relationship?   
**kim junmyeon.** : no   
**galaxykris🌟** : the closest I get to a long distance relationship is my mom    
**galaxykris🌟** : That sounded weird scratch that no no I have not    
**galaxykris🌟** : is this about Chanyeol??   
**baekthosebyuns** : yes    
**kim junmyeon.:** i can tell where this is going    
**baekthosebyuns** : are long distance relationships worth it??

**kim junmyeon.** : have you talked to anyone else about this?   
**baekthosebyuns** : Yixing    
_ /baekthosebyuns sent a photo/ _ __   
**galaxykris🌟** : I’d honestly hate to see you and Chanyeol break up I think you 2 are rlly cute and go well together but at the same time Yixing has a point- if you’re already doubting it and you still have a few weeks left you need to think about your relationship without the distance   
**kim junmyeon.** : if Chanyeol wasn’t leaving would you still feel this way?   
**baekthosebyuns** : is it bad that I feel like I should say yes to that?   
**kim junmyeon.** : not at all if anything it’s better. Means you recognize you and your relationship is changing    
**baekthosebyuns** : but it’s my fault it’s changing I’m changing and not for the best tbh   
**kim junmyeon.** : You see a therapist, don’t you?   
**baekthosebyuns** : Yes

**kim junmyeon.** : what do you work on with them?

**baekthosebyuns** : she does a lot of colour light therapy with me it’s quite cool I like it and she makes me solve some puzzles but mostly asks me questions. some of them are like what I did that week and others are how the different coloured lights make me feel and then she has what she calls reflection questions we mostly work on stuff about the accident    
**kim junmyeon.** : have you felt any different since seeing her?   
**baekthosebyuns** : I’ve changed. I’ve become more open with myself but more closed off with those around me if it makes sense. I felt like before my accident I’d say things before thinking but now I think before speaking, and I keep things to myself rather than blurt them aloud 

**kim junmyeon.** : have you talked to her about Chanyeol?   
**baekthosebyuns** : I havent seen her since I learned about Chanyeol and she doesn’t know I’m gay    
**kim junmyeon.** : how do you feel about Chanyeol leaving?   
**baekthosebyuns** : I still don’t know 

**baekthosebyuns** : im upset hes leaving and don’t want him to and want him to stay but at the same time I don’t think I can do the distance but don’t want to hurt him but I’m happy he’s leaving because this is really gonna benefit him    
**kim junmyeon.** : What’s your ideal outcome of this situation?   
**baekthosebyuns** : he changes his mind and doesn’t leave but I know that’s not happening and I’m not gonna ask him to stay because that’ll hurt him and make it worse    
**kim junmyeon.:** What’s your ideal outcome of the situation if he leaves?   
**baekthosebyuns** : honestly that we break up and he’s okay with it and feels the same way and we remain friends and when he comes back we get back together   
**galaxykris🌟** : so you want to break up with him?   
**baekthosebyuns** : yeah I guess   
**galaxykris🌟** : then fuck him lots before you do because I’ve seen Chanyeol’s dick and it’s a good one tbh   
**kim junmyeon.** : KRIS    
**galaxykris🌟** : I mean it’s horrible I haveng seen his dick what’s a dick    
**kim junmyeon.** : I hate you    
**baekthosebyuns** : thanks guys 


	48. [THE LONG GAME] XVI / Anhedonia, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; implied sexual references

_ -Day 47; Sunday, July 16th, 2017- _

“Min, I love you and I love hanging out with you, but we gotta go out and do something. I’m going stir-crazy, I swear.” Kim Jongdae whined, stretching out across the sofa. He propped his head up with his hands, leaning into Kim Minseok’s lap.   


“You go, then.” Minseok said, running his hand through Jongdae’s hair. “I’m okay here.”   


“Min, you’ve done nothing but watch _ Friends _ reruns these past like, three days.”   


“Isn’t that what you do all week while I’m at work?”   


“That’s different, Min!” Jongdae whined, causing Minseok to smirk. That was one of the only hints at a smile Jongdae had seen all weekend. “I’m on summer vacation and I have to finish my show before Baekhyun does. And I still drag my ass out to see you at lunch.”   


Minseok turned his attention back to  _ Friends _ , resting his hand on top of Jongdae’s head. He didn’t reply, letting Jongdae silently win their little quarrel.   


Jongdae was having none of it.   


He pushed himself up, swinging his legs over Minseok’s and resting his head on his shoulder. Minseok wrapped an arm around Jongdae’s waist.   


“Min, let’s do something. Please.” Jongdae whined. “Go for a short walk around the block. Have someone over, even.”   


“All our friends are either gone, leaving, or shut up.” Minseok told him nonchalantly.   


“That’s not true, Min.” Jongdae said, accompanied with an eye roll. “I can get Baekhyun out. You know I can.”   


“You still just admitted he’s shut up.” Minseok pointed out.   


“What about Kris and Junmyeon, Min?”   


“Junmyeon’s almost always busy. But I will give you a pass on Kris.” Minseok admitted, and Jongdae laughed, tucking his head into Minseok’s chest.   


“Please, Min.” Jongdae said, taking in a softer tone. “Let’s at least have Baekhyun over. He’ll understand.” He lifted his head away from Minseok’s body to look at him, laying his hand on his chest, replacing where his head once was.   


“Only for a little bit.” Minseok sighed, giving in. “He’s not staying over.” Jongdae leaned off of Minseok, letting out a triumphant yell and throwing his hands into the air. “And you two have to be quiet, too!”    


Jongdae folded back over onto Minseok, laughing. He reached up, laying a hand on the side of Minseok’s face. “I love you.”    


“I love you, too.” Minseok said, and Jongdae sat up, pressing his lips to Minseok’s.   
  


**not minseok✨** : come over 

**baekthosebyuns** : you sound like some fuckboi looking for his dick sucked    
**baekthosebyuns** : im not sucking your dick Dae   
**not minseok✨** : I got minnie for that   
**not minseok✨** : I want you to come over and hang out    
**not minseok✨:** I’ve been stuck with min all weekend    
**not minseok✨:** i love him and all but if I have to watch one more episode of friends he’s gonna be a friend    
**baekthosebyuns:** lmao ok omw    
  


“So then he sent me the pictures.” Byun Baekhyun said, rambling on as he and Jongdae made their way down the hall and back into the kitchen. It was the most Jongdae had heard Baekhyun talk in awhile, and he was borderline ecstatic. To him, it meant that Baekhyun was getting better- healing. “Are you gonna have any good snacks, or all those lame old people ones Minseok likes?”   


“I’m not old.” Minseok called from the sofa, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. “ _ Bože moj _ , I’m only three years older than you guys.”   


“Which, compared to us, makes you old and crusty.” Baekhyun said, opening a cupboard.    


Jongdae slapped his friend on the arm. “Leave him alone, Baekkie. You’re older than me, so you’re old and crusty.”   


“None of us are old and crusty! God.” Minseok groaned, and Baekhyun laughed.   


“You’re just saying that because you’re the oldest  _ and _ the crustiest.” Baekhyun commented.   


“Drop it, Byun.” Jongdae threatened, elbowing him in the ribs. Baekhyun cried out in pain.   


“Jeez!” Baekhyun exclaimed, removing a box from the cupboard and laying one hand on his side. “I get it, I get it.” He stalked back off to the bedroom he and Jongdae had set up camp in, watching a show of their own and other minuscule, busy work tasks.   


“Seriously, Baekhyun.” Jongdae sighed once they were behind closed doors. “Leave Minnie alone, okay? Tease me instead or something. Leave him alone right now.”   


“I said I got it.” Baekhyun clipped, looking up at Jongdae from under his eyelashes. “Been there, done that.”   


Jongdae laughed, holding his hand out. “Pass me that bottle.” He gestured to the bedside table, littered with drink cans and other shit.    


“Which one?” Baekhyun asked, his hand hovering over different bottles.   


“The orange one.” Baekhyun picked up the small nail polish bottle at his request, tossing it to Jongdae.   


“Orange? Really?” Baekhyun questioned.   


“I’ll chip it off within a few days anyways.” Jongdae rolled his eyes, unscrewing the cap.    


“Dae, we need to talk.”   


“Baekkie!” Jongdae whined. “It’s just a colour! Just so I don’t bite my nails! It’s not that bad!”   


“No, it’s not that.” Baekhyun said, his tone solemn and serious.   


“Go on, then.” Jongdae urged, sobering up.    


Baekhyun took a moment before he spoke, running a hand through his hair and sighing. Both boys were situated atop the bed, and Baekhyun leaned back onto the pillows.   


“Is it about your therapist?” Jongdae cut in, urging him to speak.   


Baekhyun hesitated for a moment, his breath hitching in his throat. “Sort of.” he said faintly. “It’s a multitude of things.”   


“Multitude.” Jongdae repeated, trying the word out on his own lips. “That’s fun to say. Multitude.”   


“It is, but that’s not what I’m trying to say.” Baekhyun said, irritation and annoyance lacing his voice like the sweet taste of fruit in alcohol. “It seems like I’ve got so many things to deal with that are constantly piling up I can’t even see it all.”    


Jongdae, who was in the midst of carefully painting his nails, thought carefully before speaking. “What bothers you the most?” he asked.   


“Chanyeol leaving.” Baekhyun said immediately, and then slammed a hand over his mouth. Jongdae looked over at him perilously.   


Compared to Minseok, Jongdae hadn’t known Baekhyun for very long. A few weeks off of four years wasn’t anything close to the eighteen he had known Minseok. But he still knew Baekhyun well, enough to consider him his best friend, and enough to be unnerved at the expression of shock, fear, and numbness that was etched upon Byun Baekhyun’s face.   


“Baekkie?” Jongdae asked cautiously, laying his unpainted hand on Baekhyun’s knee. “Are you alright?”   


“Please tell me you didn’t hear that.” Baekhyun begged. His voice sounded on the edge of wavering- desperate.   


Jongdae frowned. “Since when did you keep up with Park Chanyeol?” He had heard. Baekhyun winced, retreating into himself. “Now that I think about it, it was a little weird how you went home with Chanyeol instead of with Kris and Junmyeon, but I assumed it’s just because they had left earlier than us.”   


Baekhyun didn’t reply, not even bringing his gaze to meet Jongdae. He hung his head, his face expressionless as Jongdae’s head raced.   


Since when did Byun Baekhyun care about Park Chanyeol? Since when was Chanyeol leaving, and since when did this affect Baekhyun so much it took the cake over his own brother being comatose? What was this relationship between the two that Baekhyun couldn’t even mention it to Jongdae?   


Jongdae thought Baekhyun told him everything. He certainly did. However, it was like Baekhyun had dumped a puzzle in front of Jongdae and told him to solve it, but each piece was from a different box- no matter how much he tried, the pieces wouldn’t fit. Even as he thought he was getting closer, he realized he was missing a piece or one didn’t make sense. Eventually though, he was able to snap a few together.   


“Oh. My. Aphrodite.” Jongdae said after a moment, any confusion quickly being replaced by giddiness as he shifted around in the bed, grabbing Baekhyun’s hands. “You’re in love with Park Chanyeol!” Baekhyun shot up, eyes wide in surprise. He continued to stay silent, and so Jongdae continued.    


“You fucked him the once at Luhan’s party. After that, you were so hung up on his dick that you couldn’t possibly forget nor leave it, so you’ve resulted to chasing after him all summer. But, Park Chanyeol doesn’t feel the same, and now he’s leaving, and your little heart is utterly broken. And now you’re torn- do you leave Chanyeol or let him leave you?” He moved about as he spoke, waving his arms and even going so far as to press the back of his palm to his forehead and fall over onto Baekhyun’s lap when he was finished.   


Baekhyun shook his head vigorously, shoving Jongdae off of him. “Dae, I swear, you’re so over dramatic sometimes.”    


“This is some Romeo and Juliet-type shit!” Jongdae exclaimed excitedly, pulling on Baekhyun’s hands adgain. “I will help you get that dick one more time, don’t worry.”   


“That’s not what’s happening!” Baekhyun shouted. “It's the exact opposite!” Jongdae regarded Baekhyun with confusion as he paused to ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve been dating Chanyeol for almost two months now.” he spoke carefully, as if something would explode if he said the wrong thing.   


Baekhyun watched as Jongdae retracted, processing what Baekhyun had said.   


Baekhyun had wiped the puzzle pieces off of the table and slammed a pretty framed picture in front of him instead.   


“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jongdae asked, his eyes flitting up to look at Baekhyun. He tried his best to keep the hurt out of his voice.   


Jongdae told Baekhyun everything. Why didn’t he?   


“You were going through stuff.” Baekhyun said hurriedly, moving his hands, eager to defend himself. “You were pissed at me enough, I didn’t want to throw this at you, too.” Jongdae tried to interject, but Baekhyun kept going. “You were going through things with Minseok. I didn’t want to dump more relationships on you- it’d affect how you dealt with Minseok. I think anyone who knows you knows it’s best to sit back and wait for you to cool down on your own.”   


Jongdae had to agree to that. He knew he could get moody and tend to take it out on others, most often Minseok. And he had to give it to him- Minseok was continually patient and understanding with him, no matter how mad or upset he may be at Jongdae. He opened the dorm door, after all. He listened, brought him home, and countless other things despite having enough reasons to completely drop him.   


“I’m sorry.” Jongdae muttered, it being his turn to hang his head. “I feel bad that you felt that you couldn’t tell me.”   


“It wasn’t just you we didn’t tell.” Baekhyun said softly, placing a hand on his leg. “It was a secret for quite awhile.”   


“What do you mean ‘was’?” Jongdae asked. This puzzle was getting more and more complicated.   


“Slowly people found out.” Baekhyun grimaced. “I mean, I’m telling you, aren’t I?” he laughed slightly, one to lighten the mood instead of actually finding something funny.   


“Who else knows?”   


“Our families.” Baekhyun started. “Well, not Woohyun, but...” he paused, and Jongdae gestured for him to continue. He was glad Baekhyun was being more open about Woohyun. It was still a soft spot for him. “Do Kyungsoo knows, too. And Kris and Junmyeon.” These three spiked Jongdae’s interest.    


“Yeollie stayed with Kyungsoo for a bit, so I was in and out of the house.” Baekhyun explained. “We figured Kyungsoo wouldn’t tell anyone, anyways. I don’t even know if he even remembers.” he laughed again, but this one was genuine, and Jongdae couldn’t help but laugh as well. “Kris and Junmyeon found out at the hospital. I was really overwhelmed and stressed, and when I saw Chan I think I kissed him? I don’t remember, everything’s kinda fuzzy.” Jongdae nodded in agreement again.   


Again, he understood- they were all low on sleep, and two am hospital visits aren’t really memory-friendly.   


“Okay, but where’s Chanyeol going?”   


At this, Baekhyun changed his demeanour almost entirely.   


He was stiffer, and seemed closed off instead of open as he was a moment before.   


“You know the abroad program, right?” Baekhyun started.   


Jongdae nodded. “Minnie tried to send me.”   


Baekhyun loosened a little. “I forgot Min was leaving, too. Perhaps you’ll understand more than I thought.” he paused. “Chanyeol’s decided to do it. He’s going to Canada. Toronto, I think he said.”   


“Isn’t that where Kris is from?”   


“No, that’s the other side of the country. Kris is from Victoria or something.”   


“So there’s going to be like, an ocean between the two of you.”   


Baekhyun agreed grimly. “Thanks for the reminder.”   


“So whatcha gonna do?” Jongdae asked, and Baekhyun shrugged.    


“I don’t know. I guess that’s why it bothers me so much. I love him, I really do, but the distance scares me. I’ll tell you what I told Kris and Junmyeon.” he stopped talking, searching for his phone amongst the blankets, and then read from it.   


“‘I’m upset he’s leaving, and don’t want him to and want him to stay, but at the same time I don’t think I can do the distance, but don’t want to hurt him. But I’m happy he’s leaving because this is really gonna benefit him.’ And then Junmyeon asked, ‘What’s your ideal outcome of this situation?’, and so I said, ‘He changes his mind and doesn’t leave, but I know that’s not happening, and I’m not going to ask him to stay because that will hurt him and make it worse.’   


“And so it kinda went back and forth like that. Everything I said was true. I feel bad that I feel this way, because it’s not fair to Yeollie, it’s really not. Here, you can look at the texts.”   


Baekhyun handed Jongdae his phone, and he took a moment to scroll through the chat. “Baek, if this is how you feel that’s how you feel. You can’t help that. If that’s what you want to do, so be it, and Chanyeol will just have to take it in stride. I have a feeling he won’t be horrible to you about it.” Jongdae spoke with sympathy- enough so Baekhyun understood and felt comfortable, but not too much so it felt like he was trying to console a child.    


“The distance scares me, Dae.”    


“I know. I know where you’re coming from. The distance scares me, too. Personally, I know Minseok and I’s relationship is stronger and more important than over six thousand kilometres, but I’ve known Minseok for years. You’ve only known Chanyeol for a few weeks, really.”    


“I wish I had more time with him.” Baekhyun sniffed, wiping at his eyes. Jongdae scooted closer, wrapping an arm around his friend.   


“Don’t worry about it, okay Baekkie?” Jongdae lamented. “Everything’s going to be alright. You know what you want to do and how you feel. I know it’s scary, but in a few months time you’ll look back at this and find it funny.”    


Baekhyun shook his head. “In a few months time I’ll look back at this and regret it.”   


“Both Kris and Junmyeon had excellent points. Fuck him one last time. The distance and the relationship is stressing you out already.”    


“I know what I have to do.” Baekhyun said quietly, wiping at his eyes again. His voice was shaky and wavered, and he breathed heavily between phrases. “It’ll be better in the long run for the both of us. Healthier. And I feel like just in general, it’s better for me not to be in a relationship right now. But I still can’t help but love him, Dae.”   


“I know, Baek. I know. But like I said, it’s all gonna be alright, okay? Besides, who needs Park Chanyeol when you have me?”   


Baekhyun laughed. “I love you, Dae, but in a completely platonic, no-homo way.”   


“Nah.” Jongdae commented, grinning. “I mean all the homo.”    


He slammed his lips onto Baekhyun’s, and Jongdae swore on his mother’s life Baekhyun kissed him back for a moment before abruptly pulling away.   


“Yuck!” Baekhyun exclaimed, sticking his tongue out and hopping out of the bed, stumbling into the kitchen and cupping water from the sink into his mouth. “Ugh, I have Jongdae germs now!”   


“What?” Minseok asked, turning around to face Baekhyun who madly washed his mouth out, and Jongdae who leaned against the wall from laughing so hard.    


“You kissed me back!” Jongdae cried through his laughter.   


“ _ What? _ ” Minseok repeated, demanding.    


“Oh gosh.” Baekhyun muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Seriously, I’d rather kiss a frog than you.”   


“Minseok’s right there, Baekkie.” Jongdae gestured, and Minseok through a pillow at his head. “You’re gonna have to kiss him, Baekkie.”    


“Suppose I have to make it even, don’t I?” Baekhyun sighed.    


“And we’ll both have to kiss Chanyeol, then.” Minseok clued in, and both Jongdae and Baekhyun stiffened.   


“Where’d you hear that?” Jongdae asked.   


“Walls are thin.” Minseok said. “It’s quite obvious, too.”   


“Really?” Baekhyun asked. Minseok nodded. “Damn.”

  
  


~

 

Translations;

_Bože moj_ ( _боже мой_ ) (My God, _Russian_ )


	49. [PURPLE] XVI / Anhedonia, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Alcohol consumption

_ -Day 48; Monday, July 17th, 2017- _

“You won’t believe the day I’ve had.” Kim Junmyeon sighed, setting his bag down on the kitchen table.    


Kris Wu was situated on the sofa, phone in front of his face. He laid it down on his chest to listen to what Junmyeon had to say.    


“One of the other therapists there called in sick today, but no one passed it on, and none of her appointments were cancelled and no one knew.” Junmyeon spoke as he made his way about the kitchen, gesturing Kris over, which he did so, leaning against the kitchen counter. “So all of her appointments were divided up to the rest of us, and I got this young boy who was there for speech therapy.   


“Honestly Kris, it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. I almost didn’t want to help him. Obviously, I did so anyways because they were paying and I was getting paid to do so, but it was so cute.” Junmyeon sighed, opening a cupboard and retrieving a large glass bottle.   


“Why don’t you just get other kids like that?” Kris said. “Like, give speech therapy to kids of your own. That didn’t make sense, did it?” Kris laughed after fumbling through his mess of a sentence, and Junmyeon matched him as he reached into another cupboard and pulled down two significantly smaller glasses.   


“It’s a bit too early for children, don’t you think?” Junmyeon teased, unscrewing the bottle and pouring it into the glasses. “I mean, I haven’t even met your mother yet.” he laughed again as Kris reached over and took the bottle from his hands, glancing at the label.   


“Woah, are you taking shots, Myeon?” he asked, looking over to him. Junmyeon shrugged. “That’s not much of answer, Junmyeon.” Kris continued.    


“Yeah.” Junmyeon said blandly, reaching for one of the shot glasses, but Kris picked both of them up and held them above his head where Junmyeon couldn’t reach.   


“Babe, are you serious? It’s like, five.”   


“So?”   


“We haven’t even had dinner yet.” Kris began to feel the blood rushing down his arms and leaving his hands, and he lowered his arms, but still tilted his body away from his boyfriend.   


Junmyeon reached over and slipped one of the shot glasses out from between his fingers anyways. “‘S not like it’s my first time drinking today.” he said with an eye roll, and tossed the shot glass into the sink when he was done with it. “The second one was for you, by the way.” he turned away and walked out of the kitchen, closing the bedroom door behind him.   


Kris leaned against the kitchen counter, dumping his shot back into the bottle and tucking it into the back of the cupboard.    


Usually Kris loved the little routine they had fallen into in the evening.    


Junmyeon would return home from work, and he would relate his day to Kris, who showered him in kisses from not seeing him all day.    


They were both usually hungry by then as Junmyeon often skipped lunch, and Kris could always eat an entire feast himself.    


Some days Junmyeon would bring takeout home with him, or Kris would pick something up before Junmyeon returned, and other nights they ate something the other tried to cook without burning or went out to eat.   


After that they’d watch something, Kris’ arms wrapped around Junmyeon and him tucked into Kris’ chest. Sometimes they’d watch a show or a movie, other times Junmyeon would fall asleep early and Kris would let him sleep on him awhile, switching from a movie to a video game.   


Usually Kris loved this little routine, but he found himself picking at his plate like a child and it was he who dozed off during their movie.    


Even laying beside a sleeping Junmyeon later that night, Kris felt like it was a chore to fix the blankets around him and neatly tuck his book away rather than the privilege and highlight he usually viewed it as.   


He didn’t find running his hand through Junmyeon’s hair and down his serene cheek as peaceful and calming as usual, and it was the first time Kris had rolled over without placing a small kiss on Junmyeon’s cheek.   


Kris felt bad for feeling these things. He felt bad for a small part of him looking forward to leaving, wanting a change in what had become his repetitive daily life.   


He felt bad for feeling like he had thrown everything away for Junmyeon, and he felt bad for not being able to enjoy it while he had it and he felt bad for not being able to voice his concerns to his boyfriend.    


He didn’t blame Junmyeon for the way he felt and the way he dealt with things.    


Junmyeon wasn’t the problem.   


Kris was.   
  


Days Left With Kim Junmyeon: 30


	50. [LIAR] XVII / You Don't Have To Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; sexual references

_ -Day 48; Monday, July 17th, 2017- _

Byun Baekhyun liked cheesy. Whether it was cheesy foods or cheesy movies, he liked it all.    


Perhaps that was the reason Baekhyun was outside Park Chanyeol’s bedroom at four in the morning, throwing pebbles at his window. Hard enough to make an audible click, but not hard enough to mark the glass.   


He had texted Chanyeol before he left, getting in the driver’s seat of his car alone for the first time in over a month, taking the short drive to Chanyeol’s on his own.    


He had texted Chanyeol again when he arrived, but had never received an answer. So he resulted in lobbing the small pebbles at his lover’s window, each pebble’s crash getting a little louder; a gradual crescendo.   


_ Crashendo _ .   


After a few more moments of continuous pebbles against his bedroom window, Chanyeol emerged in the glass, squinted eyes and messy hair.    


“Baekhyun?” he called, opening the window. Baekhyun could only see Chanyeol’s head and torso, and he was shirtless, the streetlights and moonlight blending into one to illuminate his cheek and collarbones, highlighting the dip of his neck and curve of his shoulders and sharpness of his jaw.   


“Yeol!” Baekhyun called back up, waving frantically and standing on tiptoes.   


“What are you doing here?” Chanyeol leaned out the window, raising his voice loud enough so Baekhyun could hear, but low enough that he wouldn’t wake anyone.   


“Let me in, Yeol.” Baekhyun exclaimed. “Or come down and come with me.”   


“What the fuck? It’s like, two in the morning.”   


“Four, actually.”    


“What do you want, Baekhyun?” Chanyeol sighed, rubbing an eye with the palm of his hand.   


“You!” Baekhyun yelled, his hands cupped around his mouth. “I want you, Chanyeol! Please. Come down, or let me in. I need you.”   


Chanyeol paused a moment, leaning back into his room. He seemed to sigh and shake his head. “Give me five minutes. I’ll unlock the door.” he held five fingers up, and then shut the window.   


A man of his word, Chanyeol was at the door in five minutes, still shirtless and wearing a pair of black shorts.    


Baekhyun immediately laid both hands on the side of his face, pulling him down towards him and kissing him.   


He tasted of morning breath, and he still had that ‘I just woke up’ smell about him.   


Chanyeol slid one arm around Baekhyun’s waist, the other wrapped around his back to steady him.    


“Are you alright?” Chanyeol asked, pulling away after a moment. He spoke softly. Baekhyun nodded, thinking nothing of the question, and leaned in to kiss him again, but Chanyeol pulled away before he could. “Why are you here?”   


Chanyeol’s gaze was tired, but his eyes read confusion, sternness, and worry.    


“Didn’t you hear me?” Baekhyun laughed, leaning in to lay his head on his chest. “I said I want you.” His hands, which had fallen to Chanyeol’s chest and shoulders when he pulled away, traced along his collarbone.   


He leaned in again, his lips meeting the taller man’s jaw, feeling down his neck.   


Chanyeol reached up, intersecting his skin and Baekhyun’s lips with his fingers, which laid gingerly against Baekhyun’s lips, his warm breath tickling his fingers.   


“Wait a minute, okay?” Chanyeol whispered hoarsely, and Baekhyun could still hear the roughness and deepness of his voice due to the morning.    


Baekhyun gave Chanyeol a pleading look, readying his pouty lip as he shook his head.    


Chanyeol leaned in, laying a large kiss on his lips before pulling away again. With his arms around his waist and back, Chanyeol lifted Baekhyun up, who immediately wrapped his legs and arms around him.   


Baekhyun laid his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder, laughing as Chanyeol made his way inside. “Sh-h.” Chanyeol hushed. “Everyone else is still sleeping.”   


Baekhyun laid a few kisses on his neck, and as Chanyeol maneuvered the two through the kitchen Baekhyun laid both of his hands over Chanyeol’s eyes.   


“Baekhyun!” he hissed, and one arm fell from around him and gripped the back of a chair of the kitchen table.   


Baekhyun laughed again, uncovering his eyes, and Chanyeol glared at him, shaking his head, but kissed him nonetheless.    


Carefully, Chanyeol laid Baekhyun on the bed, kissing his cheeks and jaw and neck.   


They easily fell into one another, hands matching the way their lips moved feverishly and backs arced and breaths became heavy.   
  
~•~   
  


“Yeol?” Baekhyun asked, tracing circles on Chanyeol’s chest, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his breaths against his cheek.   


“Hm?” Chanyeol hummed. His eyes were closed, but his arm was still wrapped lazily around Baekhyun.   


“I love you.” he muttered.   


“I love you, too.”   


Silence.   


“Baek?”   


“Yeah?”   


“I’m going to miss you.”    


“I’ll miss you more, Yeol. I’ll miss you more.”   


Chanyeol tilted Baekhyun’s head up, kissing his lips.   


“Yeol?”   


“Hm?”   


“When do you leave?”   


“The fourth. Eighteen days.”   


“That seems so close.” Baekhyun’s tone dropped to a low mumble. He knew Chanyeol was leaving soon- school started soon- but he didn’t expect it to be so soon.   


“It’s alright, Baekkie. We’ve still got like, two weeks. And I’ll be home for holidays and breaks. The time difference is a little much, I’ll admit, but it’s not as bad as we think. We can video call and text and stuff. I’ll bring you back something, too.” he spoke quickly, trying to reassure Baekhyun.   


“I know, I know.” Baekhyun said. “It’d just be different, you know? Like, I can’t throw rocks at your window at four in the morning.”   


Chanyeol laughed, kissing Baekhyun’s forehead. “It’s only a year- not even. I think you can last a year without throwing rocks at my window.”    


“Yeah, but I don’t think I can last a year without sex.” Baekhyun said pointedly.   


“Ever heard of masturbation?” Chanyeol scoffed.   


“Yeah, but...” Baekhyun sighed. “To me, it’s kinda like cheating in a way.”   


“Even if I’m halfway across the globe?”   


“I don’t know.” Baekhyun sighed again. “I don’t know, Yeol.”   


“It’s alright, Baekkie.” Chanyeol consoled, rubbing Baekhyun’s back. “You don’t have to know.”


	51. [THE LONG GAME] XVII / A Match Into Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; implied sexual references; aquaphobia and PTSD

_ -Day 49; Tuesday, July 18th, 2017- _

“Here.” Kim Jongdae said, pulling his red, faded tee shirt over his head and laying it on the grass, tossing his phone onto it. “Ditch your stuff there.”   


Byun Baekhyun did as he was told, dropping his keys and phone onto his friend’s tee shirt, ditching his own tee shirt beside it.   


Both boys stood at the start of an old wooden dock, stretching out into the calm, standstill river. They were both barefoot, wearing nothing but swimming trunks.    


It was Jongdae’s idea to go out to the dock. Kim Minseok had returned to work the day before, and Baekhyun had spent the day with Chanyeol.   


Chanyeol was asked if he wanted to come to the dock, but he had declined, saying his sister was dragging him out somewhere. Baekhyun said it was in preparation for him going abroad.   


Others were asked, too. Kim Junmyeon, Huang Zitao, and Do Kyungsoo politely declined, Junmyeon being at work, Zitao having just returned from overseas and recovering from jet lag, and Kyungsoo saying he already had plans with someone.    


Oh Sehun and Zhang Yixing (both of who had also recently returned to Korea), and Kris Wu had opted to come, but the three boys were nowhere to be found.   


“Haven’t heard back from them, have you?” Baekhyun asked, and Jongdae shook his head.   


“Last I heard Kris was on his way to pick up Sehun and then make his way out here.”    


“Would it be rude to go in without them?” Baekhyun asked again, and again Jongdae shook his head.   


“It’s their fault for being late.” they laughed, and Jongdae reached out and gripped Baekhyun’s hand, dragging him behind him as he ran off down the dock.   


“Wait!” Baekhyun squealed, trying to bring his friend to a halt before they picked up too much speed. “We have to yell something.”   


“What?”   


Baekhyun nodded. “Yell something. When we jump off. Like a pledge or something. You’ve never done it before?”   


Jongdae shook his head. “Min usually pushed me in before we jumped in. Or let me jump in on my own.”   


Minseok had originally shown Jongdae the dock, as Minseok’s childhood home wasn’t too far from it. He had spent a lot of summers here, and this was one of the first summers he and Minseok hadn’t went to it together as Minseok began working a lot.   


“Okay, then.” Jongdae continued, sighing. “What do we yell?”   


Baekhyun shrugged. “Whatever. When I was little, we would yell something like our names or random words.”   


Jongdae paused a moment, tilting his head to the side as he thought. When the light bulb turned on, Jongdae smirked, gripping Baekhyun’s hand tighter.   


“I have an idea.” he said. “Don’t say anything though, okay? Just me.”   


“Okay.” Baekhyun laughed nervously, a little scared of what Jongdae was about to do.   


The two boys took off down the dock again, their bare feet hitting the old dock, the wood warmed by the sun.   


“Byun Baekhyun’s a fucking asshole!” Jongdae yelled as the two leapt off, and before the water enveloped them, Baekhyun managed to yell out a “Fuck you!”    


“Seriously.” Baekhyun whined when he surfaced, flicking his hair out of his eyes. “Fuck you, Dae.”   


“Maybe later.” Jongdae retaliated, wiping the water away out of his eyes. “I am also in a very committed relationship right now, so later might be a little bit.”   


Baekhyun laughed, flipping over onto his back and closing his eyes to block out the sun. “How _ is _ Minseok, by the way?”   


“I’m not sure.” Jongdae sighed. “He says he’s doing okay, but I still worry. I went and saw him at lunch yesterday. He’s at like, a conference or something today. I don’t know, sounded pretty boring to me when he talked about it.”   


“How’s he feeling about Russia?”   


“Strangely, he says his biggest worry is calling or texting me in Russian.”   


“Better start learning, then.”   


“Learning what?”   


Looking to the dock, Jongdae saw the three boys they were expecting. Sehun was complaining loudly while he tried to help pry Yixing out of his shirt, who had somehow gotten stuck in it. Kris had a hand up over his eyes, shielding himself from the sun.    


“Russian!” Baekhyun yelled back.   


“Communism.” Sehun commented, releasing Yixing, who stumbled backwards a bit and then fell into the water, still stuck in his shirt. He surfaced, yelling what sounded like protests in Chinese. Jongdae was unsure if the protests were because he was still stuck in the shirt or because of Sehun’s comment.   


Kris laughed and came bounding down the dock, jumping in and splashing both Jongdae and Baekhyun.    


“I don’t know any Russian.” Kris admitted and Sehun made his way up the dock, sitting on the edge and carefully dipping his feet in.    


Like the other boys, he was in nothing but swim shorts, and had basically an entire bottle of sunblock spread over his already red shoulders.   


“How’s Chanyeol’s English going, Baekkie?” Jongdae asked, looking over to where Baekhyun was, only to see he was no longer there. “Baekkie?”   


“He’s down there.” Sehun gestured to the bank, where Baekhyun was doubled over, laughing with a now-free Zhang Yixing. “You’ll have to speak a little louder.”   


Jongdae frowned, but shrugged it off as Baekhyun and Yixing slowly paddled back out.    


Jongdae flipped onto his back, lazily floating about as Kris went on about something and Sehun flicked water at the both of them, Kris’ drabble turning to threats.    


“Are you not coming in, Sehun?” Baekhyun asked when he and Yixing reached the other three.   


He shook his head. “I’m good. It’s a little too deep for me.”   


“Sehun, you’re taller than me and even I can touch the bottom.” Baekhyun laughed, straightening himself up in the water. The water only reached his shoulders.   


“I’m cool.” Sehun said, visibly growing a little uncomfortable with Baekhyun’s prying. “Besides, it’s not as easy to do this in there.” He flicked water at Baekhyun with his foot, who sputtered away.    


“Sehun!” he exclaimed, splashing him in return. “You’re sure you’re not coming in? I’ll pull you in.”   


“Please don’t.” Sehun pleaded, scooting back further onto the dock. His feet, which were submerged into the water, pulled out, hanging above the surface.   


“Seriously, Baekhyun.” Kris warned, standing up and coming closer. “Leave him alone. If he doesn’t want to go in, he doesn’t have to.”   


“I’m just telling him not be a fun-ruiner.” Baekhyun told him, accompanied with an eye roll.   


Sehun brought his legs up onto the dock, tucking them underneath himself while Kris sighed.   


“Okay, come here a sec.” Kris made to make his way inland, and when Baekhyun protested, Kris swiftly picked him up, throwing him over his shoulder, despite his protests.   


Jongdae, Yixing, and Sehun tried their best to hold back their snickers, but by the time Kris and Baekhyun were out of earshot Sehun was flat against the dock, laughing.   


“He’s like a mom.” Yixing commented, smiling.    


“He’s been with Junmyeon too much.” Jongdae added, which sent Sehun into another fit of laughs.    


“Okay, but seriously Sehun.” Yixing said, growing somber. “Are you alright?”   


“Don’t worry about Baekkie, Sehun.” Jongdae said dismissively. “He’s just an asshole.”   


Sehun laughed a little at that. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.” He brought himself closer to the water, dipping his hand in. He scooped up some water in his hand, allowing it to run through his fingers and back into the lake. “It’s just cold, is all. And dirty.”    


Yixing laughed. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure Baekhyun pissed in it.”   


“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Jongdae added, and that made Sehun laugh again.   


“Do you want your shirt?” Yixing asked, and Sehun nodded, rolling over to get up.   


“Here, I’ll grab it for you.” Jongdae said quickly, hoisting himself up onto the dock.   


“We put it with your things!” Yixing called as Jongdae made his way down the dock.    


As Jongdae stooped over to pick up Sehun’s shirt, he could see Kris and Baek sitting on rocky bank. Jongdae was a little out of earshot, so couldn’t exactly hear what they were saying, but could make out that Kris was the one talking.   


Baekhyun sat beside him, his legs outstretched and arms behind him. He looked bored, hitting the sides of his feet together, half-listening to Kris drabble on.   


Jongdae quickly picked up Sehun’s shirt and made his way back down the dock, dropping the clothing in the boy’s lap and jumping back into the water before he got too cold.   


“I was just telling Sehun that we should’ve brought water guns or something.” Yixing said when Jongdae popped back up from underneath the water.    


“I brought a skateboard, though.” Sehun pointed out.   


“That’s asking for one us to be hospitalized.” Jongdae commented.   


“I’ve had enough doctors’ visits for awhile.” Baekhyun added, bounding down the dock and stopping behind Sehun, wrapping his arms around him and bringing his face close to Sehun’s, whispering in his ear.   


After a second they both laughed, Sehun reaching up to shove Baekhyun’s face away from his. Baekhyun quickly straightened up and turned around, running off down the dock. Sehun was up quickly, chasing after him.    


They ran past Kris, who approached the edge and sat, watching Baekhyun circle around and run back up the dock in their direction, Sehun quickly closing in.   


When Baekhyun reached them again, Sehun was right behind him. In an attempt to get away from the younger boy, Baekhyun jumped in, but Sehun leaned forward to try and push him in at the same time.   


Perhaps it was the sudden stop Sehun had come to, or the act of leaning forward, or how slippery the wooden dock had become from all of them climbing on and off of it. Whatever it was, it was enough to cause Sehun to lose his balance and go off the edge of the dock, falling into the water.    


As if he had known it was going to happen before it actually did, Kris lunged across the dock and caught Sehun, one arm wrapped around his waist and another gripping his arm.   


He pulled Sehun up so he was sitting on the dock. Water clung to him, halfway up his shins. It didn’t even reach his knees.   


“You good?” Kris asked, kneeling beside him. Sehun scrambled back further onto the dock and further away from the edge.    


Despite being taller and broader than Jongdae, he looked like a deer caught in the headlights; a frightened child. He shook slightly- most notably in his hands.   


“I-I’ll-I’ll be right back.” Sehun stammered out, standing up quickly and taking off down the dock.    


“Is he alright?” Jongdae asked, a little confused on the whole ordeal.   


“What’s his problem?” Baekhyun snapped.   


“He just doesn’t do well around water, is all.” Kris said, shooting Baekhyun a look of warning. “He’ll be fine. He’s done really well today- I think he just pushed his limit a little too much.”    


Before anyone could say anything else, Kris was up and moving down the dock, calling out after Sehun.    


Jongdae watched as Kris approached Sehun, both off the dock and onto land, near where they had laid their stuff. Sehun’s shaking was more visible, even from afar. Even as he pressed himself against Kris’ shoulder and chest, the older boy doing his best to comfort him.   


“Baekkie.” Jongdae whined, remembering his question for Baekhyun. He wanted to change the topic, do away with the concerned, tense air that was about he and his friends. “How’s Chanyeol’s English going?”   


Baekhyun looked over to him, his smile faltering, but he quickly regained control. “Oh.” he muttered, looking away and into the water. “I’m not really sure. Good, I guess. Why?”    


“Just wondering. We were on the topic of it, anyways.”   


“Kris said he talked to him a little.” Yixing added. “He seems to be doing well.”   


“He hasn’t complained about it.” Baekhyun shrugged.    


The boys hung out at the dock for awhile longer. They didn’t move far or do much, Kris and Sehun still lingering on the shore near Kris’ car. They didn’t want to go near in case they were shooed off, but didn’t want to stray too far away in case they were needed.   


They made small talk, mostly. Asked Yixing how his trip was. “Bearable.” he said. “Exhausting and sickly, but bearable. I liked our land excursions more than the actual cruise, but the view on the water was pretty.”   


“You sent me a photo.” Baekhyun chimed in. “It was very pretty.”    


For what wasn’t the first time that afternoon, Jongdae found himself wondering when Baekhyun and Yixing had grown so close. He thought he knew Yixing better than Baekhyun, but that didn’t seem to be the case.    


Yixing nodded in reply to Baekhyun. “I have other photos I’ll send you.”   


“Really? I’d like to see everything.” Baekhyun said, his tone, its usual casualness, replaced with taunt and tease.   


If Jongdae didn’t know any better, he would think he was flirting.   


But that wasn’t the case. Despite how he felt, Baekhyun was still in a committed relationship with Chanyeol. Byun Baekhyun would never lie, nonetheless cheat.    


Needless to say, the reasoning behind Baekhyun’s behaviour had left Jongdae a little confused, but he had plenty of trust in his friend. He wasn’t going to start questioning his motives now.   


Baekhyun had soon engulfed Yixing in a conversation of their own, one Jongdae tried to listen in on but could not follow. Luckily, he was saved a few moments later by a fully dressed and mostly dry Kris, who appeared at the end of the dock. Sehun was nowhere in sight.   


“I’m gonna take Sehun home.” Kris said, running a hand through his wet hair, pushing it back. “Xing? You coming with, or...” he trailed off, allowing the other Chinese boy to fill it in himself.   


Yixing exchanged a look with Baekhyun, who happily piped up. “Dae and I can take Yixing home! I’m driving again now. Still with someone else in the car, and not very far, but I’m driving.”   


“You’re doing good, Baekkie.” Jongdae encouraged, pushing his shoulder.   


“All three of you are okay with that?” Kris asked, and the three boys nodded. Taking Yixing home wasn’t that big of a deal.   
  
~•~   
  


“Is Minseok home yet?” Zhang Yixing asked as Byun Baekhyun pulled up out front of the house.    


Baekhyun sat in the driver’s seat, Yixing in the passenger’s- with Yixing present, Kim Jongdae had been demoted to the backseat. He was not entirely thrilled about that.   


Jongdae quickly checked the time on his phone- twenty to five. “Not quite.” Jongdae said, beginning to climb out of the vehicle. “He’ll be home soon, though. Drive safe.”   


The three quickly bid each other farewell, and Baekhyun was off before Jongdae could close the front door behind him.   


Tan was immediately at his feet, rubbing her chin and body against his shins and ankles.   


He quickly set some treats out for her and then climbed into the shower. He was a little sticky from swimming in public places- he had fallen ill when he was younger after a day trip to the beach, and had made sure to shower afterwards ever since.   


While Jongdae rinsed soap out of his hair, trying his best not to let it run down his face and into his eyes, he heard the door open and close. Things clanged together as pockets were emptied.    


A familiar sound around this time to him now.   


“Jongdae!” Kim Minseok shouted.   


“I’m in the shower, Minnie!” Jongdae hollered back, and he heard his footsteps come thundering down the hall and the door to the bathroom open.   


“Dae? I have something to show you. Look.” Minseok helped himself to the shower curtain, moving it to the side and thrusting a wad of papers in his face.   


Jongdae reached out to push the papers down to see them, and Minseok wrenched them away. “Don’t get them wet, they’re important.”   


“Then why would you put them in the shower, Min?” Jongdae asked, trying to hold back a laugh.   


Minseok rolled his eyes. “Did you see?”   


“No, Min.”   


He sighed, flipping through the stack of papers and revealing a paper with small text down the majority of it. Two signatures lay at the bottom. “Look.” Minseok repeated. “Everything was finalized today. Accommodation, duration- the likes of it.”   


Jongdae felt two things here. The first being joy. The way his boyfriend’s face lit up and he talked so excitedly and fondly of it, he couldn’t help but feel the infectious happiness, too.    


The second was a mix of emotions one could call a depressive, melancholic state- that pressing feeling of not wanting Minseok to leave returned, and he feared anything bad that would happen to Minseok in Russia. There was also that empty feeling he had whenever someone mentioned Minseok and leaving, as if someone had scraped out his stomach and stitched him back up.   


“That’s great, Min.” Jongdae forced out regardless, his best attempt at a genuine smile pushing at his lips.    


Minseok smiled back at him above the papers. “I’ll walk you through everything at dinner, okay? I brought stuff home today.” he turned and made his way out of the bathroom, making kissing noises to attract the attention of Tan the cat.   


“You couldn’t have waited until dinner to show me the papers, Min?” Jongdae demanded, ripping the shower curtain closed.   


“No!” Minseok called back. “Once I heard you were in there I had to come. It’s quite rude of you to get in without me, anyways.”


	52. [PURPLE] XVII / Body Language Is Something That You Learn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; non-con

_ -Day 49; Tuesday, July 18th, 2017- _

“Krissy!” Kim Junmyeon exclaimed as he stepped foot in the door, immediately dropping his keys and bag on the table as he usually did when he came home.   


What was unusual was the smell that wafted through the apartment. A sweet, warm, homely smell.   


“Are you cooking?” Junmyeon asked, approaching Kris Wu at the stove.   


“Trying.” he said, smiling, leaning over and kissing him. “You hungry?”   


Junmyeon nodded. “Haven’t eaten at all today.”   


“Hi, Junmyeon.” another voice chimed in, scaring Junmyeon so much he practically jumped across the room, running into a chair.    


“Holy fuck!” he cried, a hand over his heart in shock.   


A face appeared from behind the sofa, a familiar one Junmyeon was lucky to place a name to.   


His reaction made the other two boys laugh, Oh Sehun doubling over back onto the sofa.   


“I texted you, Myeon.” Kris threw over his shoulder. “Sehun’s here. He’s honestly the reason I’m trying to cook.” Kris gestured to Sehun.   


“Wow, I feel honoured.” Junmyeon said, rolling his eyes and straightening himself and the chair out. “I haven’t checked my phone since leaving, sorry. I’m going to go change. Try not to scare me again this time.”    


“No guarantees!” Kris called as Junmyeon made his way down the hall, removing his work clothes and tugging on a pair of jeans.    


As he looked through his tee shirts, trying to find the blue one, the door opened and Kris stepped in. “Myeon?”   


“Hm?” Junmyeon asked, not looking away from the clothes.   


Kris came closer, wrapping his arms around his waist from behind and kissing the crook of his neck. “I missed you today.” he murmured.   


“I missed you, too.” Junmyeon replied, turning around and kissing his jaw, the tallest point he could reach without Kris crouching down or Junmyeon standing on tiptoe. “Now I’m trying to find a shirt; give me a minute.”    


He tried to push Kris’ hands off from around his waist, Kris’ bare arms tightly around Junmyeon’s exposed torso.   


Kris made a sound of protest, kissing his cheek. “Tell me about your day quick.”   


Junmyeon didn’t know why he felt that way.    


He felt that as of late, almost everything Kris did was an annoyance, an inconvenience, something to bother him. He knew Kris didn’t mean it and that that’s not how he should think of Kris, but when he did blatant shit like this it pissed him off.    


Wished he had sent him to the fucking rental instead.   


“It was fine.” Junmyeon said hurriedly. “Nothing special, really. Now please, let me find a shirt quick.”   


“I went down to the dock today.” Kris continued, as if the second half of what Junmyeon just said didn’t exist.    


“Kris.” Junmyeon said sternly, laying his hands over Kris’ and trying to push him away again.   


He found difficulty with it, just like the night they first met. No matter how much he protested and pushed, he couldn’t shake their grip.   


“It was really nice out.” Kris resumed, as if he didn’t notice Junmyeon trying to wriggle free or hear his protests. “I think the guys all had a genuinely good time. Though of course, I ran into some problems with Byun Baekhyun.” Kris rolled his eyes, and Junmyeon still tried to pry his arms away from around his waist.   


It’s not that Junmyeon didn’t like Kris’ arms around his waist, or Kris being so close or so intimate, but he just wanted to put on a shirt. He wasn’t the biggest fan of Kris trying to cuddle him when he was practically half-naked, especially with Oh Sehun in the next room.   


“Kris!” Junmyeon yelled, finally snapping and cutting him off. “Let me go!”   


“What the hell’s your problem?” Kris demanded, listening to Junmyeon’s request nonetheless and releasing him, shoving his hands in his back pockets. Junmyeon immediately took a step back away from him, quickly scooping up the first tee shirt he could lay his hands on and slipped it over his head.   


“You never listen to me!” Junmyeon exclaimed. “For fuck’s sakes, I’ve been telling you to let me go for the past how long? I just wanted to put on a damn shirt!”   


Kris rolled his eyes again. “Oh, c’mon. It’s not like I’ve never seen your bare chest before.”   


“That’s not my problem.” Junmyeon said defensively, folding his arms across his chest. “My problem is that you never fucking listen to me! You’re too self-involved!”   


“You’re one to fucking talk, Junmyeon! You get pissed off about nothing constantly!”   


“Kris!” Sehun called from the other side of the door. “The pot is boiling over!”   


“Shit.” Kris muttered, immediately ducking out of the room and leaving Junmyeon alone.   


Alone in his anger and self-pity.   
  


_ /Kris/ _

“It is not.” Kris said, lifting the lid to the pot and peering in. The water was at a low boil.   


“Oh.” Sehun muttered from behind him. “I thought it was.” he leaned against the table with his arms crossed, like Junmyeon, except both boys’ body language were very different.    


Junmyeon used it in a way to express his anger at Kris, closing himself off and appearing stern and angry. Sehun used it in a way that made him seem vulnerable and anxious, as if he didn’t know what to do with his hands or arms. Despite the gesture seeming closed off, Sehun actually seemed more open to Kris.   


Kris placed the lid back on the pot and shot Sehun a look, raising an eyebrow. “You feelin’ okay?” he asked, placing the back of his hand against the younger boy’s forehead.   


“Mhm.” Sehun said. “I just thought-”   


“You heard us, didn’t you?” Kris dropped his hand and leaned away, speaking low.    


Sehun hesitated before answering, but eventually gave a small nod. “I’m sorry.” he said quickly. “I shouldn’t have-”   


Kris shot him a quick, reassuring smile. “It’s okay, alright?” he reached over, ruffling Sehun’s hair. The orange had mainly faded, leaving a weird blond-orange hybrid, his dark roots showing from under the bleach. “I’ve heard you apologize one too many times today. You still hungry?”   


Again, Sehun nodded, and a few minutes later Kris dished him out some.   


Kris set out some for himself and Junmyeon, called him into the kitchen, but to no answer.    


Throughout dinner, Sehun shot Kris questioning, confused glances, but Kris talked to him as if nothing happened.   


Junmyeon did not join them for dinner.


	53. [LIAR] XVIII / An Open Letter From Byun Baekhyun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Alcohol and drug use mentions; mentions of vehicular collisions; implied sexual references

Dear Everyone and No One;

   

If my life were a movie, this would be the part where we catch up with the freeze frame and record scratch from the first few minutes of it, the question of ‘Yep. This is me. You’re probably wondering how I ended up here.’ being answered.  
   

Except my movie is directed and written by some drunk guy on every drug in the book, so the question really hasn’t been answered, so we have to result to breaking the fourth wall and explaining what we’re trying to convey through film (Xi Luhan, take notes).  
   

We’ll start with what plagued me the most.  
   

Woohyun.  
   

I love him more than myself.  
   

Despite the weekly therapy, I still blame myself for what happened.   
   

How couldn’t I? It’s my fault. If had been paying attention instead of arguing with him and worrying about Yeol it wouldn’t have happened.   
   

I’m Woohyun’s older brother. I’m supposed to lead by and set an example for him. I’m supposed to be responsible, yet all I’ve done is wind him up comatose in the hospital.   
   

He’s supposedly doing well. Mama spends a lot of time at the hospital with him. I go at least twice a week. The majority of the time I can’t bring myself to go. Whenever I see him I’m reminded of what I’ve done. It’s selfish of me, but I can’t bring myself to face that truth anymore than I already have right now.  
   

The doctors say he improves everyday and that’s he’s made massive progress.   
   

To Woohyun, my little brother, you will never understand how truly sorry I am. Never will I be able to make it up to you nor forgive myself. I’ve taken something precious from you, and in return I’ll give you everything I have. I love you more than anything, and it hurts me more than it hurts you. Emotional pain always hurts more than physical.   
   

You see, physical pain can go away. Break your leg and it heals after a while, practically good as new. However, emotional pain does not go away. Even if all is forgiven (baby*), there’s still the everlasting scars. That pain and hurt is always there, in the back of your neck and height of your spine.   
   

Now for what a lot of you are probably ogling on about.  
   

The one and only Park Chanyeol.   
  

Yeol, my Yeol. My dearest. My love.  
   

Don’t get me wrong. I love Chanyeol, I really do. But sometimes I can barely bring myself to think of him.   
   

I understand this one is going to be a little harder to explain, so bear with me.   
  

As I said before, I love Park Chanyeol. More than anyone**, really. He means so much to me and I’ve fallen in love with everything about him, despite the short amount of time I’ve known him (about forty days up to this point. If we were Jesus, we would have survived the worst at this point. But darling dear, this is only the beginning, I’m afraid.).  
   

Perhaps it's the short amount of time I’ve known him, despite how much of it I’ve spent with him. Perhaps it’s the distance, too daunting for me. Perhaps it’s Chanyeol himself, and I’ve just realized I don’t actually really like him and was just using him for whatever reason- his body, his money, his attention; the list goes on.   
   

Or perhaps it’s me, the ever changing, flowing me.   
   

I’ve been described by more than one person (all shrinks, albeit) as a constant changing kind of person, like water (funny enough, I’m a Taurus, an Earth sign, but also connected to Spring).   
   

In all honesty, as much as every other excuse and reason I’ve named has some part to play, I believe myself is the biggest, underlying reason.   
   

I’ve changed. Perhaps for the better, perhaps for the worst- depends on who you ask.   
   

I don’t want to say I’ve _outgrown_ Chanyeol, but more _detached_ .   
   

I still love Chanyeol. A part of me always will.   
   

I talked about this with my therapist, Kim Yoojin. She said that Chanyeol leaving is a silver lining; a sign almost. As I change and grow, so do my feelings and relationships, and that’s unfortunately what’s happened with Chanyeol and I.   
   

She also had time to point out the fact that we are still young. We still have time.  
   

I have time to be with Chanyeol and Yixing and Jongdae and anyone else’s pants I might want to get in or anyone else I just want to hang around. I have time to figure things out.   
   

I’ve decided how I’m going to handle my Chanyeol Crisis, but I just haven’t figured out how or when. Knowing myself, it will probably be the last minute, like a school project.  
   

To Chanyeol, my darling dear, I love you and will never completely hate you. But a part of me does hate you, because it sees you as the bringer of all that _this_ is, the end of our own, mini world. I’ll forever wonder what would’ve happened if you never left. Perhaps we would have been each other’s happily ever after, the happy ending. Perhaps we would have met our untimely demise later in the school year, or perhaps you leaving is just another plate atop the already oh-so-tall pile.   
   

To you, I leave my undying love and unwavering loyalty. Take good care of it.  
   

Now for some issues that may not be of much importance to everyone, but things I’d still like to address. I’ve already laid out quite private parts of myself***, so there’s really nothing else to lose.  
   

Kim Jongdae. One of my best friends. Perhaps my _best_ friend. I love you, and I know we’re going through a lot of the same things, but dealing with them in different ways and situations. I’ll admit now you’ve dealt with yours much better than I have. I’ve always respected and looked up to you (despite you being younger than me), but never have I as much as I do now. Please never lose that, as that’s very valuable.   
   

To you I leave our everlasting friendship.   
   

Do me a favour and hold Minseok close and never let go. He’s just as valuable. If there’s anything I want to see in this cruel world, it’s the both of you happy and healthy together. You better name your gayest adopted son after me.  
   

To my parents, who throughout everything haven’t kicked me out or disowned me, despite giving you plenty of reasons to do so. To you I leave my accomplishments and pride, so you will forever have something to treasure and be proud of. Be proud of me.   
   

To my childhood friends, who taught me more about relationships and growth than any therapist could have. I thank you for teaching me everything I now know, whether it was how to loosen the neck of a shirt so it hung off your shoulders sexier or the horrors of periods or the fact that even as we grow and change, your roots never do and you can always return home. I owe you guys everything, as without you I wouldn’t be where I am today. To you I leave my memories, all the happiness and sunshine and innocence that comes with them.   
   

And finally, to anyone and everyone reading this, I thank you for being able to bring me here. Without you my movie would have been cut short, cancelled part way through production, to be forever known as a trashed project that originally held so much potential, but all hope was soon lost. To you I leave my movie, my story, in hopes that it’s passed down from generation to generation, alive in the memories of everyone. Please never let my memory fade.   
   

I believe in a lot of things. I believe in fairies and the paranormal and true love and conspiracy theories. But most of all, I believe in happy endings. Everyone gets a happy ending, despite how long the movie may be and how many spin offs and sequels there may be. Every story gets a happy ending.   
   

And I can say my ending has been quite happy.  
   

But with every ending comes a bright beginning.   
   

I believe in hope for the future, that everything will be just how it should be.  
   

With Love,

Byun Baekhyun   


* Chanyeol’s rubbing off on me. I haven’t even listened to the entirety of _Heathers_ . I will admit though, I’ve watched multiple bootlegs of _Freeze Your Brain_ . JD is hot, despite being a psycho. And straight.   
** Woohyun not included. I love you more than anyone _excep_ t Woohyun.   
*** Quite literally. Jongdae and Chanyeol both have my nudes for _sure_ . I’m positive if you ask they’ll share. You could also probably _Google_ them, too.


	54. [THE LONG GAME] XVIII / I Don't Know Why, But I Love You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Tobacco use; mentions of date rape drugs and alcohol

_ -Day 49; Tuesday, July 18th, 2017- _

Kim Minseok found Kim Jongdae on the front steps of the house when he returned from work, soaking up the last of the day’s summer rays.   


He had a cigarette in one hand, the ashtray and box of cigarettes placed beside him. A simple black baseball cap was placed atop his head, and he wore nothing on his feet except a dull pair of sliders. He wore an old, bland tee shirt and a pair of tattered, faded jean shorts.   


“Hey, Love.” Minseok greeted as he made his way up the front, approaching Jongdae.   


Jongdae looked up at Minseok, patting the spot on the porch beside him. He tapped the last of the cigarette ash into the tray before putting it out, and moving the box of cigarettes and ashtray away completely.    


Minseok sat down beside Jongdae gingerly, the cold of the cement immediately seeping through his dress pants and tickling his skin.   


“How was work, Min?” Jongdae asked, Minseok leaning his head on Jongdae’s shoulders.    


“Fine.” Minseok fibbed. It was bearable. Jongdae was right- Minseok should’ve never of returned to work so soon. He should’ve waited longer- he would still be able to go to Russia. That job was done and under his belt.   


Minseok found himself plagued with a feeling he could only describe as shame and guilt when it came to his coworkers.   


Whenever he looked at them, he could only think of taking that drink from Park Miyeon and the other few, fleeting memories he had of that night.    


He mainly remembered the warmth of Jongdae’s hand clasped in his, the vague smell and taste of the alcohol, shouts and cries of anger and happiness, the hauntingly beautiful artistic blurs that night was.    


He felt targeted, exposed in his own workplace, as if they were all coming after him.   


 

_ “Kim.” Heo Minjin said earlier that day, pressing the back of her hand against his forehead. Both she and her sister, Heo Minseon, peered down at him. _ _  
_ __

_ Heo Minseon and Kim Minseok had such similar names that with the foreign and native tongues that licked the office, they both melted into one, the shout for one of the Minseo’s unclear on who it was for.  _ _  
_ __

_ And so the office quickly took to calling Minseok ‘Kim’, the only other Kim being Kim Namjoon, who had already established the nickname Joon.  _ _  
_ __

_ Kim turned his attention away from his work, paying attention to the prying girls.  _ _  
_ __

_ “Are you feeling okay?” Minseon asked, finishing her sister’s thought.  _ _  
_ __

_ Minseok gently pushed Minjin’s hand away, nodding. “I’m fine.” he fibbed. “Just tired.”  _ _  
_ __

_ “Conferences are boring.” Minjin agreed. “But seriously, you don’t look all that well.” _ _  
_ __

_ “Just stressed.” _ _  
_ __

_ “Because of Russia?” Minseon asked. _ _  
_ __

_ “Because of Miyeon?” Minjin asked. _ _  
_ __

_ “Because of both.” Minseok admitted, growing irritated from the constant prying of the girls. This was just one of the many reasons Minseok was gay. Boys didn’t pry. _ _  
_ __

_ “We took a vote earlier.” Minseon said. _ _  
_ __

_ “On what everyone thinks happened.” Minjin continued. The twins had a habit of going back and forth like that, speaking as one in broken intervals. _ _  
_ __

_ “Bom thinks Miyeon slipped something in your drink.” _ _  
_ __

_ “Krystal and Haerim, too.”  _ _  
_ __

_ “Joon says it’s a possibility, but doesn’t see how she would’ve gotten any drugs.” _ _  
_ __

_ “Also doesn’t see why you. She could’ve given that drink to anyone. Kyung says it’s because she has such an obvious crush on you.” _ _  
_ __

_ “Doesn’t Park Kyung also think the world is flat?” Minseok interjected, and the girls shrugged. _ _  
_ __

_ They continued on relating the office’s public thoughts on his private matter, and Minseok put his head in his hands, exasperated. “Has anyone thought of just  _ asking _ Miyeon?” _ _  
_ __

_ “Can’t do that.” Minjin said. _ _  
_ __

_ “Miyeon won’t like that.” Minseon added. _ _  
_ __

_ “Besides, no one would want to ask.” _ _  
_ __

_ “Besides Kyung, but he’d probably twist and exaggerate the answer.” _ _  
_ __

_ “She’d answer, though.” Minseok pointed out, and the girls agreed.  _ _  
_ __

_ Again, the girls erupted in a bubble of babble, placing their bets on who would ask and what the answer would be and if they really judged Miyeon correctly.  _ _  
_ __

_ “I’ll ask!” Minseok exclaimed after a moment, standing up and silencing the girls. _ _  
_ __

_ As he made his way from his workspace to hers, the news of what Minseok was about to do quickly travelled throughout the office. _ _  
_ __

_ “Miyeon.” Minseok said, trying his best to show any authority and confidence he had. “I have to ask you something.” _ _  
_ __

_ Park Miyeon leaned back in her desk chair, eyes blazing into Minseok. “Go ahead.” _ _  
_ __

_ “Thursday night. Last week. I was taken to the hospital, where they found traces of Rohypnol in my system. You were the only person I took a drink from. Did you or did you not drug me?” Minseok demanded, putting it as bluntly as he could. _ _  
_ __

_ While he spoke, Miyeon held a straight face throughout all of it. It was only until he finished did she falter slightly, but quickly regained her poker face. _ _  
_ __

_ She didn’t answer, and Minseok felt panicky almost, as if it were too much for him. _ _  
_ __

_ “I won’t press charges.” Minseok continued, and Miyeon’s eyebrows shot up. She seemed pleased and intrigued. “Whatever you say won’t even leave between us. I’ll tell everyone it was a mixup, that I must have gotten confused from the drugs and alcohol and really did take a drink from someone else. I just want to know.” _ _  
_ __

_ “It was me.” Miyeon said casually, as if admitting to doing the dishes without being asked instead of admitting to drugging someone. “Tell them it was Jongdae.” _ _  
_ __

_ “What?” _ _  
_ __

_ “You heard me. It was me. I did it to get you away from Jongdae. Tell them it was him. He’s your next viable suspect.” _ _  
_ __

_ “No.” Minseok said, disgust dripping off his tongue. “I’m not placing blame for something you did on my boyfriend. Besides, Jongdae is none of your business. You stay away from him.”  _ _  
_ __

_ “Fine then.” Miyeon said, and Minseok left without another word. _ _  
_

 

“You’re home a little earlier than usual, Min.” Jongdae commented.    


“Less traffic.” Minseok lied. “What were you doing out here?”   


“Smoking. You know that, Min.”    


“I know that. I mean, like...what for?” he struggled to find the right words.   


Jongdae shrugged. “Because I can, I guess.” he paused a moment. “How many more days, Min?”   


Minseok sighed. “I’m not sure right off the top of my head. About a week?”   


Jongdae fumbled on the ground for Minseok’s hand, lacing his fingers through his. “I’m going to miss you, Min.”   


“Don’t worry.” Minseok consoled. “It’ll all be okay, alright? This is easy for us.”   


“I’m still scared though, Min.”   


“Don’t be.”   


Now it was Jongdae’s turn to sigh. “Y’know, Min, you leaving makes me want to hate you. React like Baekhyun to Chanyeol. But I love you more than he does him. You mean too much to me to just walk out, lovers or not. I will admit, though, that this would be so much easier if you didn’t make me love you so much. I walk a fine line of loving and hating you. I want to love you, but you make it so easy to hate you.”   


“I take that as a compliment.” Minseok said. “But I get it. I don’t mind what you think of me. Love me, hate me, both. But remember that no matter what, I’ll always love you, Dae. No matter who I’m with, where I am, what I’m doing, I’ll always love you. There’s a lot of things I don’t know. And why I’m so in love with you and why I can’t stop loving you will always be one thing I can’t figure out.”    


“Even if I feel like hating you, I’ll wait for you, Min.”   


Jongdae turned, wanting a kiss, but Minseok pulled away. “I love you enough to care for your health. I know you won’t stop smoking, so I’ll tell you that I at least won’t kiss you until you wash your mouth out, change and wash your clothes, and take a shower. You reek of cigarette smoke.”   


Jongdae laughed. “You’re coming in the shower this time, Min?”   


“You bet I am.”   



	55. [PURPLE] XVIII / With Every Passing Day

_ WARNINGS: Mild language _

_ -Day 50; Wednesday, July 19th, 2017- _

Everyone has habits. They pick them up and drop them as they grow older, and some they never outgrow.   


When Kim Junmyeon was younger, he counted things. Tiles on the floor and steps from the car to inside the grocery store and how many seconds it took to tie his shoes.   


Like most habits, he grew out of it, but it never truly left him. Nothing ever truly leaves you, and even at twenty-six years old Junmyeon still found himself counting the odd thing, just out of habit.   


Now that he was older, he counted things like spare change or how many documents he had or many seconds it took for him to walk from the apartment to the bus stop.    


He made a point to count important things, so he wouldn’t forget them.    


One thing he should’ve been counting was how many days until Kris Wu left.   


Alas, he never knew about the fast approaching date that would shatter his world and send him into a state of borderline dissociation, because no matter how much Kris annoyed him he still loved him and never thought of a world where he returned home to an empty apartment, any and all traces of Kris quickly wiped away.    


He always assumed that at the end of the day, he would return home to a large, warm hug from a bubbly, excited Kris, a kiss on the lips and another sneaky one on the cheek, maybe a sly ass grab or neck kiss. He always assumed that he would fall asleep, safe, sidled up against Kris, the lingering scent of his musky cologne that always stuck to him enveloping him and slowly sending him to sleep. No matter how or where Kris showed his affection, Junmyeon loved it, even if he didn’t show it.   


With Kris, everything was better. Junmyeon was happier, the days were longer, nights included sleep.    


Nightmares no longer struck Junmyeon at every corner, and Junmyeon had done and learnt things and went places he never would have without Kris.    


Essentially, Junmyeon owed almost everything to Kris. Kris was his safe place.   


Kris made him feel alive.    


The days he had spent with Kris slipped by through their fingers.   


Junmyeon wasn’t sure how many days he had spent with Kris.   


He wasn’t counting.   


He also wasn’t counting the creepily cheerful emails, considering the situations they were under, sent to inboxes of his friends.   
  


**email notification:**   
_ to _ : kiminseokiki@naver.com   
_ from _ : vedriti@outlook.com   
Kim Minseok,   
We are pleased to let you know that your trip to RUSSIA for TRANSLATION has been finalized! Details below!    
  
_ Departure Date _ : July 28th, 2017   
_ Return Date _ : May 27th, 2018   
[click to see  more ]   
  
Thanks for planning with us!   
_ Vedriti _ __   
  
  


 

**email notification:**   
_ to _ : pparkcchanyyeoll@hanmail.com   
_ from _ : zaidaedu@edu.gmail.com   
Park Chanyeol,   
A reminder to finish packing! Your trip to Canada is in 9 days! Your departure date has been moved forward to better your educational experience. We’re looking forward to teaching you and learning from you!   
  
_ Departure Date _ : July 28th, 2017   
_ Return Date* _ : June 4th, 2018   
  
Here’s your CANADIAN fact of the day!   
_ There are about 247 car accidents each year in Canada caused by moose. _   
*Return Date does not include holidays.   
_ Zaida Educational Travel Team _ __   
  


 

**email notification:**   
_ to _ : kriswuyifan@hotmail.com   
_ from _ : linxiulan@hotmail.com   
  


Wu Yifan,   
I’m pleased to let you know that we’ve managed to pull some strings and get you home even quicker than originally expected. We’ve moved your return date to the 31st of July. All other details apply, and new flight and arrival information is in the link. We look forward to seeing you soon and hope this does nothing but aid you. You have 12 days left in South Korea.   
  
_ Lin Xiulan _ _   
_ _ Head of Yuexiu, Guangzhou, Guangdong Police Department _


	56. [LIAR] XIX / Departure Day, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Implied sexual references; drug and addiction mentions; mild language

_-Day 59; Thursday, July 27th, 2017-_

Byun Baekhyun felt dizzy when Park Chanyeol told him his departure date had been moved forward.  
   

Nine days.  
   

They only had nine days together.  
   

Baekhyun spent those days with Chanyeol, doing whatever Yeol wanted to do and listening to whatever he had to say.  
   

Baekhyun was completely content just being with Chanyeol, listening to his steady heartbeat like a steady bass line.  
   

Despite living and breathing Park Chanyeol for a constant nine days, taking car rides and late night walks and having dinners with him, Baekhyun was barely there.  
   

His mind was somewhere else, and only the shell of a physical body remained with Chanyeol. Even though he was there physically with the one he loved so much it hurt, he was elsewhere mentally.  
   

He didn’t know exactly where. It wasn’t like in the movies where people reach enlightenment, spend days on the beach, or in fantasy wonderlands.   
   

Again, he had retreated to the small part of his head meant just for him, waiting it out, waiting until everything was right again and everyone fixed it for him.  
   

Just like the night he almost killed Byun Woohyun.   
   

On the afternoon of July 27th, as Chanyeol drove Baekhyun home for the last time, Chanyeol turned to face him before he could leave his car.  
   

“Baekkie.” he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “Will you come tomorrow?”   
   

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol, confused. He came every night, didn’t he? “What do you mean?”  
   

Chanyeol never once looked Baekhyun in the eye. He acted skittish, and fumbled for his hand, holding Baekhyun’s smaller hand in his large ones. “To the airport.” he elaborated. “See me off, kind of. Kyungsoo’s going to drop me off. Sehun, Kris and Junmyeon said they were going to try and say goodbye before my flight, too. Jongdae said he’d try and make his way over- he’s obviously seeing Minseok off. His flight leaves from a gate like, on the other side of the airport. Minseok’s flight leaves a little earlier than mine, though.  
   

“I get if you don’t want to come. It might be hard for you. I want you to come, though. I really want you there, Baekkie. But again, I get it you don’t want to come or if you already planned on going with Jongdae and Minseok-”  
   

“We’ll see.” Baekhyun breathed, matching Chanyeol’s soft tone. Like his heavy heart, he dropped his gaze. “I might be busy. I have-”  
   

“I get it. Don’t worry.” Finally, Chanyeol made eye contact with him, tipping his chin up with the tip of his finger. He smiled at him, something so small yet so familiar and comforting. “I love you.”  
   

“I love you, too, Yeol.” Baekhyun replied, and Chanyeol leaned in, kissing him.  
   

It was like any other kiss, but Baekhyun couldn’t help but feel like his ‘I love you’ was automated and there was something missing from this kiss.  
   

After a moment, they pulled away, their gazes still lingering. Wordlessly, Baekhyun gathered up his things and exited the car, making his way up to his own home.  
   

Chanyeol watched all the while, and only pulled away when the front door shut tightly behind him.  


 

 **not minseok✨** : are you sure you’re gonna be ok?

 **not minseok✨** : are you going to the airport? ✈️

 **not minseok✨** : I can meet you somewhere there after or I can swing by your house   
**not minseok✨** : I get my license back Saturday we can go somewhere or do something take our minds off it   
**not minseok✨** : 🚗🚗 beep beep  
**not minseok✨** : that’s the sound of my car comin to pick you up

 **not minseok✨** : baekkie?

 **not minseok✨** : Baekhyun answer me I want attention   
**not minseok✨** : Becky with the good hairrrrrrr   


**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : have you done it yet?

 **baekthosebyuns** : no   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : tomorrow?   
**baekthosebyuns** : most likely   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : if you need anything txt me

 **zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : you’ll be ok   


**kim junmyeon.** : we’re here if you need anything baekhyun   
**galaxykris🌟** : things we can give you tho like moral support and blankets no drugs   
**kim junmyeon.** : no drugs? damn there goes my plans 😩

 **galaxykris🌟** : dammit myeonie we’ve been over this selling crack on the street is not a real job   
**kim junmyeon.** : it’s not crack it’s heroin jeez get it right

 **baekthosebyuns** _:_ first of all im not turning to drugs I’m not that desperate yet **baekthosebyuns** : second of all if I did want drugs it wouldn’t be crack or heroin it’d be like weed or smth and I’d get it from someone else not you two grandmas   
**baekthosebyuns** : and finally wth you two are fucked up   
**galaxykris🌟** : 😭 it’s because of his crack addiction 🤧   
**kim junmyeon.** : FOR THE LAST TIME ITS HEROIN NOT CRACK

 **galaxykris🌟** : that’s just what the drugs want you to believe 😭😭   
**baekthosebyuns** : I’m literally gonna block both of you and then launch myself into the sun   


 

Byun Baekhyun was not a liar. When he told Park Chanyeol he might not come because he might be busy, that was nothing but the truth. The 28th, aka Departure Day, was a Friday- Baekhyun not only went to see Woohyun on Friday’s, but his Wednesday therapy appointment had been pushed to Friday as well.   
   

Baekhyun wanted to be there for Chanyeol. Not only because it would be one of the last times he would be able to see him, but because Chanyeol needed him there. And Baekhyun had things he needed to do there.  


 

 **baekthosebyuns** : you drive, right?   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : yea why   
**baekthosebyuns** : can you take me to the airport tomorrow?   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : sure, we’ll try and to get there for around three so I’ll get you at like two thirty????? that should be more than enough time   
**baekthosebyuns** : it’s a date   


 

_-Day 60; Friday, July 28th 2017-_

“Let me out here.” Byun Baekhyun told his friend. Baekhyun was already unbuckled, and his hand gripped her car door handle. “You’ll wait for me?”   
   

Pulling to a stop outside the airport, Zhang Yixing nodded. “Don’t worry, Baekhyun.” he reassured, smiling. “Text me when you’re back. You’ll do great.”  
  

“Thanks.” Baekhyun muttered, uncertainty lacing his voice. He climbed out of the car, gathering up his things. Yixing yelled something as Baekhyun closed the car door, but it was indistinguishable to him- partially because it was a phrase in Chinese. He took it in stride nonetheless, knowing his new-found friend held nothing but encouragement for him.  
   

Baekhyun hurried into the airport, throwing himself into the busy crowd. Despite there being a mass of bodies, Baekhyun came searching for one and one only.   
   

It wasn’t very surprising that Baekhyun was easily able to spot him- Park Chanyeol was over six feet tall, and the the fact that his hair had recently been dyed a bright red again made him stick out even more.  
   

Chanyeol was ahead of Baekhyun, his back faced to him. Quickly, he began to push his way through the crowd in an attempt to reach him.  
   

“Chanyeol!” he yelled, still fighting his way through. Chanyeol unfortunately had terrible hearing- perhaps it was because of how tall he was.  
   

Baekhyun continued yelling out his soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend’s name, calling attention from everyone except the one person he actually wanted.  
   

He felt his heart rate quicken and a pressing feeling, as if his chest was trying to envelop and fold in upon itself.  
   

It was then that the man turned around. Upon seeing him, Chanyeol’s face lit up, a familiar, warm, secure smile stretching across his face. Even from a distance, Baekhyun could see the dimple on his left cheek.  
   

Both men made their way towards each other, and Chanyeol quickly grabbed Baekhyun’s wrist, pulling them out of the way of the crowd.  
   

“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes danced over him, taking him in and drinking him up as if he was in disbelief. “I thought you said you weren’t coming.”   
   

“I wasn’t.” Baekhyun said hurriedly. “But Yeol, listen. I have something I need to tell you.”  
   

Both of Chanyeol’s hands gripped Baekhyun’s. Chanyeol’s hands were much larger than Baekhyun’s- practically the size of his face. They were warm and strong, calloused from constant strumming, and could make anything he held look small.  
   

Baekhyun’s, however, were much smaller, borderline feminine- it was the source of Kim Jongdae’s ongoing joke that Baekhyun should be a hand model.  
   

Compassion and worry crossed Chanyeol’s face, and Baekhyun shook his hands away from his grip.  
   

“Is everything alright, Baekkie?” he asked. Sensing Baekhyun’s hesitation, Chanyeol reached out to lay a hand on his cheek, leaning in, but Baekhyun quickly stepped away. He had fallen for Park Chanyeol’s dimple, smile, eyes, hands, lips, mannerisms, laugh- everything that made him _him_ \- before, and he wasn’t going to let it get the best of him now. “Baek, hon.” Chanyeol continued. “Whatever it is, you gotta spit it out. I hate to rush you, but I do have a flight to catch.” he laughed nervously, trying his best to lighten the mood.   
   

“I can’t do this.” Baekhyun burst, stepping back despite not being in contact with anyone. He moved his gaze away from Chanyeol, holding his hand to his chest. “I know I told you it was fine, but it’s really not. It’s too much. I can’t do this. I’m sorry, Yeol, I really am, but this is what’s best for us and everyone else. I’m sorry. I love you, I really do, but I can’t do this to us. Maybe when you’re back we can try and sort this out, but right now I can’t.” Baekhyun finished with a shaky breath, pushing the swelling lump in his throat down.  
   

“You’re breaking up with me.” is all Chanyeol said in reply, and lamely at that. He started at him, again in shock and disbelief. “You lied to me.”  
   

“I did not!” Baekhyun exclaimed, his gaze snapping up and taking a step forward. “And don’t you dare put words in my mouth, Park Chanyeol! I said I was unsure. That I’d think about it. That’s what I said, and don’t try and twist it back around on me, not this time. I never once lied to you- to anyone! I know what I said- hell, everyone does! Just ask Jongdae, Yixing, Jun-”  
   

“That’s not what I’m saying.” Chanyeol interjected. Baekhyun cast his gaze away again. “I just...”  
   

“I know.” Baekhyun’s voice was calmer now, matching the flat yet understanding tone that Chanyeol possessed. “I get it. You’re angry and upset with me. I get that. I expected that, and you have every right to be. Go ahead. Cuss me out. Wish me dead-”  
   

“I would never wish you _dead_ , Baekhyun.” Chanyeol said, exasperated. He reached forward again, laying a hand on his cheek. Baekhyun didn’t pull away this time. “I understand, alright? I shouldn’t have sprung this on you.”   
   

Baekhyun opened his mouth to interject, but Chanyeol quickly silenced him with a look. Chanyeol had this strange power over Baekhyun that made it easy for him to do things as such.  
   

“Look. I have to go now.” Chanyeol continued. “One last kiss before I go?” he flashed Baekhyun that signature smile, dimple and all, and Baekhyun found himself falling for all of him again, despite what he just did.  
   

Baekhyun nodded carefully. “Just one.” he said, laughing slightly. Chanyeol stooped over, kissing him quickly before pulling away. To Baekhyun, the kiss still felt so different from all the other times he kissed him. Something was missing, but Baekhyun couldn’t figure out what.  
   

“Goodbye, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun said solemnly. Chanyeol reached over and gripped the handle of his suitcase.  
   

“I’ll see you at Christmas, Baekkie.” Chanyeol replied, giving him one more head-over-heels smile before they both turned away, making their way to opposite ends of the airport.  
   

He didn’t know about Chanyeol, but Baekhyun never looked back, his heart now set on leaving the hell that was the airport and to the boy waiting for him outside.   
   

Again, that pressing, chest compressing, shaky feeling returned, worsening with the walls and crowd closing in around him.   
   

“Baekhyun.” a familiar voice broke through, releasing the walls.  
   

Turning towards the sound, Baekhyun laid his eyes on another boy, around his height. He was familiar, but Baekhyun didn’t know him as well as he knew Chanyeol or Jongdae.   
   

“Are you looking for Chanyeol?” Do Kyungsoo asked, his hand dangling behind him, caught in the grasp of a strange, tall, broad boy Baekhyun had never seen before.  
   

“It’s alright.” Baekhyun replied quickly before Kyungsoo could carry on. “I found him already. Thanks.”  
   

Again the walls closed in around him, and Baekhyun quickly turned away, rushing out of the airport before Kyungsoo or the mystery boy could say or so do anything further.  
   

When Baekhyun emerged outside from the airport, Yixing was there, car idling. Baekhyun quickly climbed into the car, sitting where he was before. Immediately, he felt more relaxed.  
   

“How did it go?” Yixing asked, moving the car and pulling out of the airport.  
   

“Surprisingly well.” Baekhyun related. “He took it well. He was very understanding.” he left out the details, sparing Yixing them.  
   

“That’s good.” Yixing smiled reassuringly. “Listen, I read this funny story while I was waiting for you.”   
   

Baekhyun didn’t mean to tune Yixing out, but it just kind of happened. He didn’t pay much attention to what the boy was saying, but more to the boy himself. He looked him over, taking him in in all his glory. His pink lips that formed a pout naturally, the way his hands gripped the steering wheel, how sharp his jaw was, and the way he spoke carefully, making sure his sentences were strung together properly and each word was pronounced properly to avoid accidentally swearing again.   
   

“Yixing?”  
   

“Hm?”  
   

“I didn’t know you had a dimple.”  
   

Yixing laughed, jabbing a finger into his cheek, yet still paying attention to the road. “This?”   
   

“Yes.”  
   

“I have one on my right cheek.”  
   

Baekhyun laughed. “Why don’t you come hang out at my place? I’ll try and make you dinner or something.”  
   

Again Yixing smiled, and Baekhyun noticed how bright his eyes were. “I would like that very much.”


	57. [THE LONG GAME] XIX / Departure Day, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Sexual references; strong language

_ -Day 59; Thursday, July 27th, 2017- _

Although in the same situation, Byun Baekhyun and Kim Jongdae both dealt with it much differently. While Jongdae was clinging onto everything while he still had it, Baekhyun had already given up. However, one thing they had in common about how they dealt with it was the need to constantly be with the other.   


Jongdae had practically joined himself at the hip to Kim Minseok, accompanying him to work, visiting him at lunch, waiting outside for him for when he returned, and going anywhere else with him. He all but waited outside the bathroom for Minseok.   


Seventeen hours before Minseok’s flight was due to leave, the two laid in bed, nestled against one another. Minseok had an arm thrown around Jongdae, a book in hand. Jongdae leaned against his chest, his phone propped against Minseok’s jaw.   


They lay there in silence, together, yet doing their own thing, happy just being with the other while he still could.   


It wasn’t until Minseok closed his book, leaning away to turn off the light and causing Jongdae’s phone to fall did one of them speak.   


“Min, wait.” Jongdae blurted, reaching out and laying a hand on his arm. Minseok turned to face Jongdae, giving him a questioning look. “Don’t go to sleep yet. Do it with me first.” a pleading look spread across Jongdae’s face, and Minseok’s once serene yet confused expression soon twisted into one of happiness, smiling and laughing.    


“I knew this was coming.” he admitted, leaning back towards him and kissing his lips. His hand came to rest on the back of Jongdae’s thigh, the other on his shoulder blade.    


Also like Baekhyun, Jongdae felt that this kiss was different. But unlike Baekhyun, the kiss wasn’t lacking, but gaining. It was easily one of his favourite kisses.   


Minseok’s hand ran up his thigh to meet his back, slipping under his shirt to pull it over his head. His hand finally came to rest on the back of his neck, half tangled in his hair. Never letting their kiss break, their other hands travelled over the other, pulling at the remaining fabrics and running smoothly over skin.   
  
~•~

 

_ -Day 60; Friday, July 28th, 2017- _

“Are you wearing eyeliner?” Minseok queried the next morning, standing near the door. His sleek, steely grey suitcase sat upright near him.    


“And mascara, Min.”    


“Why?”    


“Min, it’s expensive stuff of Baekkie’s. So I don’t cry.” Jongdae grabbed his things, meeting a laughing Minseok at the door.   


“You’ll be fine.” his boyfriend reassured. “I don’t mind if you cry.”    


Jongdae took Minseok’s hand, Minseok opening the door with his free hand and Jongdae grabbing Minseok’s suitcase with his. “I do, Min.” Jongdae argued. “I can’t let this makeup run down my face- especially because it’s Baekkie’s.”    


Minseok laughed again, his grip on Jongdae’s hand becoming tighter. “I don’t mind, Dae.” Minseok murmured, clambering into his car while Jongdae chucked his suitcase in the backseat.   


They both tried to make the drive to the airport relaxed, yet the air was still tense. They talked as if meeting for the first time; asking questions they already knew the answer to, tiptoeing around certain subjects they knew were sensitive to the other. Minseok didn’t want to console Jongdae in him leaving, and Jongdae didn’t want to reassure Minseok in him leaving, both knowing they’d want to drop the subject or find it tedious. They’d had these conversations before- there wasn’t much else to branch out onto.   


That was the thing about MinAndDaeDae- they knew they could always bring anything to the table and the other would take it in graciousness, and they really had presented everything they could and wanted to.   


On one hand, Minseok had chased after Jongdae for so long he never felt any shame or insecurities in being with him. He didn’t care if people thought the sight of two boys being together was abhorrent.    


On the other hand, Jongdae cared a lot about himself and his image. Even if no one paid attention to the two boys holding hands through the airport, Jongdae still felt as if everyone’s eyes burned into him, harsh stares and judgement.    


“I have to go now.” Minseok whispered, his hand still clasped in Jongdae’s. They both knew this was the point of no return- Minseok made his way into Customs and Jongdae made his way back home.    


“I’ll miss you, Min.” Jongdae squeaked, his throat closing and the tears welling up in his eyes. He forced them down- he wasn’t going to cry. Not in the middle of the airport. Not with all this makeup on his face.   


Minseok smiled sadly at him, reaching up and wiping a thumb under his eye nonetheless. “Just say it and I won’t.”    


“What?” Where was this coming from?   


“Just say you don’t want me to go and I won’t. I’ll say I’ve changed my mind, a family emergency-”   


“Min, no.” Jongdae said, shocked. Why would he even propose something like this? This was something he’s been wanting forever.    


Minseok let go of Jongdae’s hand, fumbling around in his back pocket. His expression was one of desperation as he pulled cupped hands out, shaking them. “Hold out your hands.” Jongdae did so without hesitation. “Seven or higher I don’t go, six or lower I stay.”    


Before Jongdae could argue or question why Min still kept the dice on him, Minseok released his hands, rolling the dice into Jongdae’s hands. Before they could see the results, Jongdae closed his hands shut.   


“Min.” he pleaded. “Please. Go. You want this. You  _ need _ this. Don’t let anything stop or hold you back now, especially with how far you’ve come now. Please. Go. For me.”   


Minseok didn’t say anything for a moment, looking down at the ground as if it would suddenly open up and swallow him whole. “Okay.” he finally mumbled out.   


“You’re gonna be fine, Min.” Jongdae reassured, wrapping an arm around him and kissing his cheek. “Just don’t like, accidentally join the mafia or anything.”   


This made Minseok laugh, and turn and kiss Dae’s lips. “I have to go now.”    


“I’ll miss you, Min.”   


Minseok finally detached himself from Jongdae, gripping his suitcase handle. “I’ll call you as soon as I can.”   


“Send photos, too!” Jongdae cried as Minseok carefully took a few steps away from him before turning around and making his way into Customs. Jongdae didn’t move, wanting to leave when he could no longer see Minseok.   


It was then he remembered the two dice in his hand, and he slowly opened his palm.   


A five and a three, which makes eight.   


Jongdae smiled to himself, knowing that even if they left it up to fate instead of choice, Minseok would still be leaving.    


“Min, wait!” Jongdae cried, surging forward as quickly as the unnameable feeling overcame him. Minseok quickly turned around. He hadn’t gone far, a thin wall of people between them. It was easy for Minseok to break through them, thankful to be able to make it through Customs quicker. “Min, catch!” Jongdae tossed one of the die to him, watching as it sailed through the air and into Minseok’s hands, raised and ready.   


Minseok looked down at what was in his hands, and then looked back over at Jongdae, another unnameable expression on his face. “What was it?”    


“A five and a three. You’re in it for the long game now, Min!” he shouted, laughing, arms spread out at his sides as he backed away.    


Leaning onto his suitcase, Minseok laughed as well, pushing his hair out of his face, the purple long gone and faded. “I love you, Kim Jongdae!”   
  
~•~   
  


Any joy or euphoria Jongdae felt sending Minseok off, knowing he was moving forward and doing something good and well for him, something he wanted, was soon replaced by complete and utter melancholy, heartache, and poignancy.    


Upon stepping foot into Minseok’s house, the house the two shared, that would soon be empty, Jongdae sank to the floor, the door clanging shut noisily behind him.   


Like usual, Tan immediately came rubbing up against Jongdae’s leg, needy for food or love.    


“Stupid cat.” Jongdae told her, running his hand down her back anyways. “You don’t understand. Min’s gone. I’ll be leaving soon. Everyone’s either gone or leaving.”   


Despite having held them back at the airport, the way there and back, the expensive makeup that wasn’t his, Jongdae finally let the tears that welled up spill over, running down his cheeks and dripping onto his chest, lap, and even Tan’s fur as she climbed up onto him, pawing at his cheeks.   


He laughed slightly, wiping the dyed black tears away from his face, knowing his skin would be stained.   


Later that night, as Jongdae was prepared to go sleep for the first night among many without Minseok, Tan again bugged about Minseok, pawing at the spot where Minseok usually slept.   


“I told you, he’s gone.” Jongdae repeated, leaning over to plug his phone in. “There’s no use.”    


Minseok’s flight from Incheon to Moscow was about 8 hours, meaning he landed at eleven pm Jongdae’s time, so it was really only five pm when Minseok landed.   


Jongdae tried his best to stay up as long as possible, not wanting to sleep before he heard back from Minnie. However, he found himself nodding off anyways, only to be awoken from the ding of his phone.    
  


_ You have 3 new text notifications from “ _ not jongdae🌈 _ ” _   
  


**not jongdae🌈** : just landed :) ✈️🛬

_ /not jongdae🌈 sent a photo/ _   
**not jongdae🌈** : jet lag is gonna kill me time is weird :(    
  


 

Again, Jongdae found himself smiling to himself as he tapped on his phone, opening the photo Minseok had sent him. It was from inside the plane, Minseok’s camera aimed out the plane window, capturing the skyline. He had the small die held up to it, pinched between his thumb and forefinger.   
  


**not jongdae🌈** : Khronos just hates me    
**not minseok✨** : yeah ahaha   
**not minseok✨** : who    
**_not minseok✨_ ** : greek time Guy???   
_ /not jongdae🌈 sent a photo/ _ __  
**not minseok✨:** he’s old and kinda ugly    
**not minseok✨** : EW IS HE NAKEY   
**not minseok✨** : lolol that’s gonna be you in a few years 

**not jongdae🌈** : bitch fuck You


	58. [PURPLE] XIX / Departure Day, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Drug mentions; strong language

_ -Day 63; Monday, July 31st, 2017- _

Kris Wu’s flight was an early one. Six am, to be exact, despite being only an hour long flight.    


He found that he always took long at airports- something always held him back, whether it was the check-in machines breaking or having security check all his baggage (that one was his fault though; perhaps the ‘Weed The North’ snapback wasn’t the best thing to wear).    


Thus, he found three am to be an appropriate time to wake up at. It’d leave him plenty of time to get ready and make his way through.   


However, even after his alarm went off and he quickly silenced it, Kris still found himself sitting up in bed, unable to move.    


He had had so much time, so many opportunities, so many chances, yet he never did it.    


He never told Kim Junmyeon.   


And here he was, wide awake at three in the morning with three hours to go until his flight was scheduled to leave, with something he couldn’t allot time for.    


There were many things Kris Wu did not want to do. And waking Kim Junmyeon was one of them.   


Running a hand through his hair, he figured if he went about his routine, readying himself, perhaps Junmyeon would stir and he could break the news easily to him. He had it all planned out anyways, having run the situation through in his head a million times with every possible outcome.   


Even with making as much noise as he could (even going so far as to purposely slam the hairbrush loudly against the hardwood floor), Junmyeon only rolled over, taking half the blanket with him.   


Having already wasted a half hour, again Kris found himself deciding what to do. He could wake him- Myeon wouldn’t mind. It was honestly the best way for Kris to climb out of the bottomless pit he had dug himself into.   


But Kris Wu was still half-asleep, too delirious and stupid for common sense, and too stubborn to wake Junmyeon.   


Instead he ran headfirst into an option that would leave the least blood on his hands.   


Rifling through some drawers, Kris quickly scribbled on a notepad, licking his finger as he peeled the note off the pad and stuck it on the bedside table where he knew Junmyeon would see it. He also gently placed the small gift he had gotten Junmyeon a few days ago with it.   


He turned his phone notifications off, knowing it was a dick move and that Junmyeon would hate him for it. He knew it was something he could’ve gone about in a much better way, saving both of them the heartbreak. He knew it was something Kim Junmyeon didn’t deserve.   


With a heart as heavy as his footsteps, feeling nothing but pure and utter hatred for himself and regret and sympathy for Junmyeon, he walked across the apartment floors and closed its door for what would be the last time.   


As Kris dropped his key off at the front desk, handing it off Kim Hyunjin, he couldn’t help but remember his first day at the complex, getting keys with Junmyeon from a pink-haired Bae Joohyun.    


The drive with the silenced radio reminded him of every time he had ever sat in the car with Junmyeon, loudly singing songs and playing with the radio and even fucking for the first time in the apartment parking lot.    


Kris had always liked cars and driving, playing in small battery powered cars as a kid and standing up through the sunroof in high school because he had seen Hayley Williams do it in a  _ Paramore _ music video (it was actually a convertible, but same diff, really).   


The majority of his favourite memories were in cars, or had to do with cars, and it was safe to say the same went with Junmyeon.   


It was also safe to say he’d miss his favourite poofy-haired,  _ Star Wars _ loving, book nerd, Thai food addict, cheek rubbing, shy, and flustered therapist of a goddamn cute boyfriend more than anything.    


Walking out on him was easily one of the hardest, most heart-wrenching things he had ever done.

 

But it was the safest. He had said so himself-  _ do it quick and fast so you don't get hurt. _

 

But Junmyeon was right-  _ that's more likely to get us hurt than if you did it normally. _   


But Kris still clung onto a little bit of hope.    


Perhaps Junmyeon would pull through, a glimmer of hope like in the movies and sitcoms.    


Rachel got off the plane, why couldn’t he?   


Perhaps he would have if only he had turned on his phone.   
  
~•~   
  


_ /Junmyeon/ _

Kim Junmyeon awoke earlier that morning than he usually did. Kris Wu was up and out of bed anyways, something that didn’t surprise Junmyeon. Kris was almost always awake before Junmyeon.   


He fumbled on the bedside table for his glasses, but instead of skimming against the smooth plastic of his frames his fingers hit something thinner and harder.   


He rolled over, opening his eyes and rubbing his cheek, inspecting the bedside table.   


Slipping his now-located glasses on, Junmyeon peered at the table, enough morning light creeping through the windows for him to see.   


Stuck on the bedside table was a note, a small black box placed neatly beside it.   


Reaching for the note and sitting up, Junmyeon’s stomach flipped and dropped, getting that same uneasy feeling and nerves as he did when he went exploring with Kris, that night oh-so-many weeks ago with Stephanie and Seohyun and Sooyoung.   


His stomach dropped further, dread and fear and anger and sadness filling him as he read the note, soaking in every word as if reading a suspenseful book.   


“Kris?” he called out over his shoulder. There was no way this was serious. This had to be some cruel joke he was playing. It wasn’t real.   


Junmyeon stumbled into the kitchen, still calling out and looking for Kris. He looked in all the other rooms as me made his way back to the bedroom, finding Kris to no avail.    


With clumsy fingers, he found and switched on his phone. He sat himself back on the bed, hoping and praying that it would give him all the answers to whatever this was. But again, his phone remained silent, no miracle answers to this strange predicament.   


He shook as he dialled and typed and text and hit send, and time passed slowly yet quickly, some weird loop Junmyeon couldn’t figure out. Time grew and grew, and Junmyeon was soon due to be late for work.   


Still in pyjamas, Junmyeon made his way downstairs to the lobby, even taking the elevator in hopes of running into Kris.   


The elevator doors opened in the lobby, and Junmyeon looked around the empty lobby frantically before going over to the front desk.   


“Have you seen Kris?” he asked. The girl sitting there looked at him curiously.   


“Who?” she asked.   


“Kris.” he repeated, as if that made everything make sense. “About this tall-” he reached above his head. “blond hair, really pretty eyes, Chinese?”   


The girl frowned, pondering, and Junmyeon fumbled around for more obvious ways to describe Kris, things everyone saw and not just him.   


“I think I saw him.” she said after a moment. “He dropped off a key.”   


Running Junmyeon over seventeen times with a bus would’ve hurt less than this.   


“Oh, okay.” he muttered, stepping away from the desk. “Thanks.” he took off again, taking the stairs back up to his apartment.   


He found the note again, smoothing it out on the bed. It was crumpled- he must’ve crumpled it when he dove into the kitchen. Despite the creases, Junmyeon could still make out ever carefully inked word.    


He shoved down the panic and tears welling in his throat, and shakily lifted the top off the small box.

_Of course._   


Junmyeon let out a small laugh, dumping the contents of the box into his palm.   


A small, silver ring that easily caught any light as if demanding it all towards it, and reflecting it back blindingly bounced into his hand.

 

A small photo brushed against his skin, coming dangerously close to giving him a papercut. It fluttered to the bed, laying atop the note.

 

The photo was taken that night at the park, Junmyeon leaping off of the carousel, his face reading pure hysterical terror.   


He clenched the ring in his fist, knowing it would fit perfectly on him without even slipping it on.   
  
__

_ Kim Junmyeon, _

_ I’m sorry for doing nothing but giving you false hope and giving you everything I wanted to and could give you. I’m sorry for taking it all away and leaving and I’m sorry for not being able to tell you why. I’m sorry I’m dark blue instead of the red you need and deserve. _


	59. [LIAR] XX / Finale, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; implied sexual references

_-Day 71; Monday, August 7th, 2017-_

Never had Park Chanyeol wanted to slingshot himself into the sun more than he did now.  
   

First day of school in a new country meant new surroundings, new language, new people, new everything. He had been spending the past eleven days getting situated and comfortable, getting over jet lag and culture shock.  
   

He had immediately settled into his new dorm room, and figured his roommate nice. Chanyeol couldn’t remember his name as he didn’t see him much, but remembered that his parents were Korean and he spoke a little Korean. Although his roommate’s Korean was awful, and the little phrases he could say weren’t of much use to Chanyeol, it still made him feel better.   
   

Despite being settled, he had still managed to get himself lost before class. By the time he figured out where he was and where he was supposed to be, he was late.  
   

And so there Park Chanyeol was, sliding into the first free seat he saw in class, fifteen minutes late and wanting to slingshot himself into the sun.  
   

He did his best to focus, figure out where they were in class. The teacher was a broad, thick, balding man. His sienna coloured button up stretched thin across him, the white buttons straining to keep clasped. His voice was deep, and he was talking about the early 10th century and religion.   
   

Chanyeol did his best to follow along, flipping through his textbook to the page number scrawled on the chalkboard. However, his race to catch up was quickly interrupted by the teacher clearing his throat.  
   

“Young man?” he demanded, and Chanyeol immediately felt all eyes on him.   
   

“Yes?” he replied meekly, slumping in his seat, wanting to make himself as small as possible.  
   

“What’s your name?” the question was simple, something Chanyeol recognized and had answered before. Yet he still felt like the teacher had just given him an impossible, daunting task.  
   

“Park Chanyeol.”  
   

The teacher glanced down at a paper placed on a podium in front of him, picking up a pencil and making a mark on it. “May I ask why you’re late?”  
   

“I got lost.” Chanyeol admitted, laughing slightly in an attempt to shrug it off. It seemed to work, as he got a few snickers from other students and the teacher took that as an acceptable answer.  
   

“What do you play?”  
   

“Pardon?”  
   

“What do you play? Like what instrument? This is a final year university music class- you have to play something.”  
   

“Oh.” Chanyeol said, laughing it off again. That was a tactic that always seemed to work for him. “I play piano-” he made a motion with his fingers as if playing chords for emphasis. “guitar, drum-”  
   

“We’ll put you on guitar.” the teacher said, cutting him off. “Acoustic or electric?”  
   

“Pardon?” The teacher spoke quickly and his words blended together, making it difficult for Chanyeol to understand him at times.  
   

“Do you play acoustic or electric guitar? One you plug in or don’t?” Despite having to repeat himself many times, the teacher remained calm and understanding.  
   

“I play both.” Chanyeol said carefully.  
   

“What do you like better?”  
   

“Both.”  
   

The teacher laughed. “I’ll put you on acoustic, then.” he made another note on his paper, and then went back to talking about the Roman Catholic Church.  
   

“Psst.” An elbow drove its way into Chanyeol’s rib. He turned to face the girl who was seated beside him. “I’m Ashley. Nice to meetcha.”   
   

“Park Chanyeol.” he whispered, and she stuck a hand out to him, which he took gingerly and shook.  
   

“So, Park-”  
   

“Chanyeol.” he cut in. “My name is Chanyeol.” Family name before given name wasn’t something they did here- Park Chanyeol was a fucking idiot.  
   

“ _Chanyeol_ .” Ashley corrected herself, dragging out the name. “You really got lost?”   
   

He nodded. “I ended up in a business class instead.”  
   

She snickered at that, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. The teacher now faced the board, his back turned to them so he didn’t notice. “You’re a funny one, Chanyeol Park.”

 

As Chanyeol made his way out after class, he felt Ashley brush against his side again. “So, Chanyeol Park.” she started. “You drink coffee?”  
   

He nodded. “Like a crazy person.”   
   

She laughed again, her laugh ringing throughout the hall. “You are funny, Chanyeol Park. There’s a good coffee place a little bit off campus. Ever been?” Chanyeol didn’t reply, just shook his head in denial. Ashley smiled. “When’s your next class?”  
   

“I have classes on Mondays and Thursdays.”   
   

“Whaddaya got on Thursday?”  
   

“ESL.”  
   

She groaned. “I’ve never taken ESL, but I’ve heard it’s quite boring. You’ll need coffee to survive.” Chanyeol laughed at that, following Ashley off down the street to the coffee place of wondrous claims.

  


_-Day 207; Friday, December 22nd, 2017-_

“...And they’re roommates!” Do Kyungsoo exclaimed, slipping his arms through the sleeves of his jacket.   
   

“Oh my gosh.” Park Chanyeol replied lamely, really only half listening to Kyungsoo’s story.   
   

“Okay, I’m ready.” Kyungsoo said, patting his pockets and opening the door. “His dorm’s in the next building. Close enough to walk.”  
   

Despite it not quite being Christmas yet, students began to travel home for the holidays that day, but the majority went home over the weekend. Friday night was obviously party night.   
   

With Xi Luhan graduated, Oh Sehun took it upon himself to host the annual parties. It was a name hard to live up to, but at least they were consistent and not cancelled due to being a fucking idiot.  
   

Park Chanyeol had returned home a few days prior, and stopped in to visit his remaining friends for the holidays.  
   

And to see the one and only Byun Baekhyun.  
   

He was anxious to arrive, scared to be there, but looked forward to it nonetheless- he had done nothing but miss Baekhyun the entire time he was away and would continue to do so. He was prepared to get his Baekhyun back.  
   

“Are you even listening to me?” Kyungsoo asked, pulling on Chanyeol’s sleeve.  
   

“Y-yeah. Sorry.” Chanyeol muttered, shaking his head and freeing himself of his thoughts.  
   

“What was I saying then?”  
   

 _Shit_ . “S-something about roommates?” Chanyeol guessed. This caused Kyungsoo to sigh and shake his head. Obviously not the right answer.   
   

“I was saying, Jongin said he’ll meet us there.” Kyungsoo continued. “I really want you to meet him. I know I’ve only talked about him a little bit-”  
   

“A little?” Chanyeol interjected, eyebrows raised. The only texts Chanyeol had gotten from Kyungsoo the entire time he’d been gone were about this Kim Jongin (mostly about his laugh and his eyes). Not even a ‘miss you’ or ‘how’s the weather? Turned into an ice cube yet?’.  
   

“Okay, maybe a lot.” Kyungsoo corrected, pursing his lips to hide a smile. “But I can’t help it; he has really pretty eyes, Chanyeol. The way I tell you and how they look in pictures don’t do them justice.”  
   

Tell him about it, Kyungsoo. Chanyeol knows what _that_ feels like.   
   

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol could hear the steady, rhythmic beat of the music the moment they stepped foot into Oh Sehun’s dorm building. Even if they didn’t know his dorm number, it wouldn’t have taken them long to find it.  
   

“Chanyeol’s back!” a voice yelled as soon as the two men opened the door, and Chanyeol didn’t even get a chance to survey the dorm before a familiar pair of arms were wrapped around him, blocking his vision.  
   

“Dude, you’re gonna suffocate him.” Oh Sehun wrenched him away and out of Huang Zitao’s grip.  
  

“Sorry.” Tao muttered, pressing a drink into his hands and slapping him on the back. “It’s just that it’s been like, forever since I last saw you.”  
   

Chanyeol laughed, happy to see his friends again and happy that they were happy to see him. “I’ll take what I can get.”  
   

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol were quickly showed where to ditch their jackets and where drinks were before they pushed further into the room, getting squished together.   
   

Kyungsoo stood on tiptoe, holding onto Chanyeol’s arm for balance as he craned his neck, trying to peer over the crowd.  
   

“Looking for him?” Chanyeol asked, and Kyungsoo nodded.  
   

“He shouldn’t be too hard to find. He’s about as tall as you- a little shorter, but not much- but his hair’s a natural brown right now so he blends in with everyone. Unlike you, and your Smurf-looking ass.” Kyungsoo flattened his feet out, reaching up and tugging on a lock of Chanyeol’s blue hair.  
   

“Hey!” he cried, slapping Kyungsoo on the arm as Sehun shouted over everyone, trying to be heard.  
   

“How’s Canadia?” he asked.  
   

“Good, really good!” Chanyeol shouted back, leaning in so it was easier to hear. “Really cold right now but still really good!”  
   

“Have you met Justin Trudeau?”  
   

“Ridden a polar bear?” Tao added.  
   

Chanyeol shook his head. “No, I’ve only seen Trudeau on TV.”  
   

“Was he at least shirtless?” Tao prodded.  
   

“That’s what I asked him!” Kyungsoo chimed in. “Loser says he wasn’t.”  
   

“What’s the point in even going to Canada, then?” Sehun asked, and Chanyeol shrugged.  
   

“Where’s everyone else?” Chanyeol asked.  
   

“What, I’m not enough for you?” Tao demanded, feigning offense.  
   

“Yeah, you’re a pretty lousy welcome gift.”  
   

Tao kicked his shins as Sehun gestured over to the far right corner. “Jongdae, Jongin, Junmyeon, Jimin, Jungkook, and Jooeun are over there.” Chanyeol only knew about two of those people, about four in all being familiar names.  
  

“Who?” Chanyeol asked, but was quickly dragged off by Kyungsoo before any could answer him (if they even heard him).  
   

“Nini!” Kyungsoo exclaimed, approaching the group. “This is Chanyeol!”  
   

“The famous Chanyeol I’ve heard all about?” the boy asked. Kyungsoo was right- he was about his height, quite broad, brown hair. And as much as Chanyeol hated to admit it, he did have really pretty eyes.  
   

“The one and only.” Chanyeol said playfully. “And you must be the Jongin he’s always mentioning.”  
   

“You talk about me?” Jongin asked, looking over to Kyungsoo.  
   

“A little bit.” he answered, and Chanyeol rolled his eyes.  
   

“That’s an understatement.”  
   

Jongin said something, something both he and Kyungsoo found funny, but Chanyeol couldn’t hear as he stumbled back a few steps due to the force flying into his chest.  
   

“Oh my Hermes! Chanyeol I’ve missed you so much!” a wild Kim Jongdae appeared in Chanyeol’s line of vision, and Jongdae quickly had both hands on Chanyeol’s cheeks, pulling him down and kissing his cheek. “That’s a no homo kiss!” Chanyeol could practically taste the alcohol dripping off of Jongdae’s breath.  
   

Kyungsoo reached over, pulling Chanyeol down as soon as Jongdae released him. “Don’t mention Minseok.” he hissed. “He’s still kinda sensitive about it, and he’s piss drunk so that’s asking for it.” Chanyeol nodded, straightening himself up. “Oh! And these are our new friends!” Kyungsoo added, gesturing to the three new bodies. “Park Jimin, Jeon Jungkook, and Lee Jooeun.”  
   

“I’ve been replaced.” Chanyeol jokingly said.  
   

“Oh hon, you were replaced a _long_ time ago.” Tao told him.   
   

“We really only kept you around because you were fucking Baekkie!” Jongdae yelled, earning himself pointed glances from everyone.  
   

“Is he here?” Chanyeol asked, his face falling from joy to desperation.  
   

“Has anyone seen Junmyeon?” Kyungsoo asked, trying to change the subject while he still could, but Jongdae pointed over his head anyways.  
   

Chanyeol turned to where Jongdae pointed, and there was Byun Baekhyun and Zhang Yixing, lips locked as if it was their last day on earth.  
   

“He’s over there sucking faces with Zhang Yixing!” Jongdae yelled, right as the song slowed to a stop, switching over in the momentary silence that pursued.  
   

Obviously having heard him, Baekhyun and Yixing ripped apart, looking over in their direction. Before Chanyeol could register their reactions, Baekhyun had pushed away and made a beeline for the door. Chanyeol quickly followed while Kyungsoo chewed Jongdae out.  
   

“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol yelled, elbowing his way through, trying to reach him.  
   

“Chanyeol!” a voice yelled after him. Still surging forward, Chanyeol turned to see Sehun making his way towards him. “Get back here!” he hissed.  
   

“You’re not my mom!” Chanyeol yelled back, breaking free and making his way out the door and running down the hall after Baekhyun, who walked quickly away from him. “Baekhyun!”  
   

“Don’t talk to me, Park.” he snapped, reaching up to move hair out of his face. He kept walking, head down, not looking or stopping for Chanyeol. “Don’t touch me, don’t look at me. Leave me alone.”  
   

“Baekhyun, please.” Chanyeol pleaded, catching up to him and grabbing his wrist, spinning him around to face him. Baekhyun’s eyes widened, his pretty pink lips parted delicately in surprise. Chanyeol’s mouth upturned into a smile, happy to see his Baekhyun. “Merry Christmas.” he whispered.  
   

“Fuck off, Park!” Baekhyun yelled, shaking his grip. His face turned stern and he turned on his heel, leaving Chanyeol behind again.  
   

“Baekkie, please!” Chanyeol pleaded again, this time not running after him. “I just want to say hello. You’re kinda the reason I came all the way back here, anyways.”  
   

Baekhyun stopped, taking a moment before turning around. He opened his eyes, looking over at Chanyeol. “Really?”   
   

Chanyeol nodded. “I said I’d see you at Christmas, didn’t I?”  
   

Baekhyun took a moment to respond. “How’s Canada?” he said softly, dropping his gaze.  
   

“Cold.”  
   

“Seen Justin Trudeau shirtless yet?”  
   

“No, unfortunately. You’re like, the fifth person to ask me that.”  
   

“Shame.” Baekhyun muttered. “Chanyeol, listen.” he continued cautiously. “I’ve moved on.”   
   

“I know.” Chanyeol said. It was a little hard not to.   
   

Baekhyun didn’t say anything back for a moment. “You’re okay with that?” Chanyeol nodded. “You’re not gonna ask me for another kiss, are you?”  
   

“As much as I want one, no.”

 

“Good. I’ll see you later, Yeol.” Baekhyun pushed past Chanyeol and passing Sehun who tried to be inconspicuous around the corner, heading back into the party.  
   

“What the hell? Are you okay?” Sehun demanded, stepping out into the open and approaching Chanyeol.  
   

“I’m alright, Sehun.” Chanyeol told him, grinning. “I’m alright.”

  


_-Day 393; Saturday, June 23rd 2018-_

“If I’m being honest, I didn’t think _he’d_ be the first of us to get _married_ .”   
   

“Especially under these circumstances.” Byun Baekhyun answered, meeting Zhang Yixing in front of their car, taking his hand. “I had my bets on Min and DaeDae for sure. I owe Soo money.”  
   

“I kinda feel bad for him, really.” Yixing frowned. “It’s so soon since...y’know.”  
   

Baekhyun walked a few steps ahead of Yixing, their hands still clasped tightly together. Their hands felt so natural together. “It’s been almost a year, babe.”  
   

“Yeah, but...” Yixing laughed, shrugging. “You can tell he’s still not over him.”  
   

“Is anyone really?”  
   

“Luhan.”  
  

Baekhyun snorted. “Is he coming back? He and Myeon have always been pretty close.”  
   

“I think so. Lu was invited, at least.”  


 

For the most part, the ceremony went off without a hitch. The only problems Baekhyun could find was Kim Junmyeon’s reaction to seeing Seo Juhyun for the first time at the end of the aisle, a reaction Baekhyun could see through easily- a rehearsed, fake, forced reaction. There was also the fact that both Junmyeon and Juhyun hesitated before saying ‘I do’, a hesitation that seemed to last forever to him. A hesitation most people overlooked as a draw of breath before speaking.  
   

Baekhyun and Yixing clung to their group of friends during the reception. None of them were in the wedding party, except Kim Jongdae and Oh Sehun. Sehun was Junmyeon’s best man, and Jongdae was MC, mainly because he was the only person loud enough to be heard all throughout the reception and the only one of Junmyeon’s friends Seohyun actually liked.  
   

The wedding party was mainly stuffed with Seohyun’s friends and family, only three of the four groomsmen being Junmyeon’s actual “picks”.   
   

They really only saw Junmyeon a few, brief times that night, as he was off doing what his and Juhyun’s families wanted the majority of the night.   
   

“I know this is supposed to be a happy day, but I can’t help but feel that this is more saddening than happy. Sorry, Myeon.” Sehun said one of the times they talked to Junmyeon, reaching out and placing his hand on Junmyeon’s arm.  
   

Junmyeon sighed. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I get it- I feel the same. I know I should be happy. Weddings traditionally are. But I can’t help but feel a little sad. At the same time, though, I have to count my blessings- I actually like and get along with Juhyun. Her family’s not terrible.”  
   

“It’s okay to feel sad, Myeon.” Park Chanyeol chimed in, wrapping an arm around a melancholic Junmyeon. “This isn’t exactly something you wanted.”  
   

Baekhyun felt a little unnerved at Chanyeol’s presence- he hadn’t talked or been around Chanyeol much since he left for Canada. He tried his best to get along with him. Yixing did, after all, and Baekhyun took quite a liking to this Ashley Choi girl he had brought back with him. It’s not that Baekhyun hadn’t moved on from Chanyeol, but just that there was still that underlying attachment Baekhyun couldn’t seem to cut.  
   

“It’s my only option, though.” Junmyeon pointed out.  
   

“What’s wrong with my idea?” Jongdae barked.   
   

“Running off to Mexico, changing your name to Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoya de la Rosa Ramírez, and becoming a banana farmer isn’t exactly a viable option.” Chanyeol argued.  
   

“Besides, Esteban is a hotel manager.” Minseok cut in before Jongdae could complain further.  
   

“ _Assistant night_ manager.” Ashley corrected. “And he’s from Peru.”   
   

“That’s besides the point!” Jongdae cried, and before anyone could debate further Junmyeon was tugged off for more photos and greetings.  
   

“He looks so tense.” Xi Luhan frowned, looking at Junmyeon stand beside Seohyun.   
   

“Like a doll.” Huang Zitao added, who had been surprisingly quiet the majority of the night.  
   

“Am I the only one who still doesn’t know who Inigo Montoya is?” Sehun asked.  
   

“That’s _The Princess Bride_ you idiot!” Ashley shouted as Chanyeol elbowed Sehun, knocking him into Do Kyungsoo who hit him back in the arm.   
   

Baekhyun laughed, his hand still wrapped tightly in Yixing’s. Just like it was supposed to be.

Everything was just like it was supposed to be.


	60. [THE LONG GAME] XX / Finale, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; alcohol consumption

_ -Day 70; Monday, August 7th, 2017- _

Kim Jongdae wasn’t surprised that he was yet again roomed with Byun Baekhyun. They had roomed together all throughout university; it was practically tradition by now.   


There weren’t any arguments over who got which side of the room or where to put what, no awkwardness between them. There was just familiarity and routine.   


Rooming with Byun Baekhyun was probably the only familiar, routine thing to Jongdae at the time.    


Jongdae still had a hard time wrapping his head around how his entire life could’ve been flipped, turned upside down in the span of just a few short months.   


He was still growing accustomed to the absence of Kim Minseok. It wasn’t that he had graduated, but the fact that he physically wasn’t there. It was strange to Jongdae to communicate to Minseok purely through his phone, only seeing his slightly pixelated face through a screen and hearing his tinny voice through a speaker.    


He had resulted to what his friends deemed ‘self-destructive behaviour’, which was really drinking one to many beers on top of one too many shots and never cleaning up after himself.    


So typical Kim Jongdae behaviour.   


And the fact that Jongdae had basically replaced all his friends.   


With Minseok roughly six thousand kilometres away and Baekhyun running off with Zhang Yixing all the time, it wasn’t long until he was out in the dead of night, having done so many shots with Lee Jooeun they had both forgotten how many they had had.   


The only time he ever had regular behaviour and was mostly sober were Minseok’s ‘low days’. These were days he wasn’t working as long or as hard as other days. His low days were usually Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays.It worked out well, as Jongdae only had classes Tuesdays and Fridays.   


He spent the low days up late or getting up early to talk to Minseok at times that worked for him. These were the days it was totally acceptable of him to laze around all day, on video chats.   


The video calls would last up to a few minutes to a few hours, ranging from so loud and noisy people complained to him to so quiet you could hear the other breathing.    


Jongdae was content with every call, every text, no matter what happened or what it said.   


He was content in just being able to hear from and talk to Minseok, and at the time that’s all he could’ve wanted.   
  
  
  


_ -Day 208; Saturday, December 23rd, 2017- _

“Guys, I think I have a drinking problem.” Kim Jongdae announced, finally emerging from the bed in Do Kyungsoo’s dorm. He didn’t know why or how he had ended up there, but he was grateful it wasn’t half-naked in some back alley. He had spent the better part of the morning nursing a hangover.    


“No shit.” Byun Baekhyun replied, rolling his eyes. He was sitting on Zhang Yixing’s lap, holding a few cards at the table. Do Kyungsoo, Kim Jongin, and Park Jimin sat with them, all holding their own hands of cards.   


“I would never have guessed.” Kyungsoo said nonchalantly, throwing a card into the middle of the table.   


“I’ve been telling you that for years.” a robotic voice crackled. Even through the static and electronic filtering of it, Jongdae immediately recognized the voice.   


“Min?” he squeaked, his voice cracking. He had to be going crazy. This was just the hangover messing with him.   


Kyungsoo held up a phone- Jongdae’s phone. “You apparently called him last night and none of us know how to work your phone.”   


“And I didn’t bother to hang up because I only noticed my phone had been on about half an hour ago. I’ve just been listening to them playing cards. I’m pretty sure Jimin’s winning, by the way. Whoever he is.”   


“Your replacement.” Baekhyun chimed in, and Jimin kicked Baekhyun in the shins, causing him to yelp and almost fall off of Yixing.   


Jongdae took a seat at the table, reaching for his phone but not bothering to take it off of speakerphone. “You got time to talk, Min?”    


He made a sound of confirmation through the phone. “I wouldn’t have stayed on the line otherwise, dummy.”   


Jongdae laughed. “Sorry, Min. Thought I’d check.”   


“How considerate of you.” Minseok replied, and Jongdae could practically hear the eye roll.   


“I don’t remember calling you last night, Min.”   


“Do you remember  _ anything _ from last night?” Baekhyun questioned. Good point- he didn’t. Jongdae shook his head while Minseok laughed.   


“You called me saying you- and I quote- ‘missed my dick and was worried the mafia would ‘Lorena Bobbit’ it off.’”   


“I also asked you how many drinks you’d had and you held up two fingers saying five.” Jongin piped up.   


Jongdae laughed, leaning back and rubbing a hand through his hair. “Oh gods, I can’t believe I’m hilarious even when I’m blackout drunk.”   


“I don’t get it.” Jimin muttered, reaching over and picking up a card from the deck in the middle of the table.    


Kyungsoo groaned, putting his head in his hands. “It’s Roman numerals. ‘Cause V is five.”    


Jongdae laughed again, and Baekhyun shot him an unimpressed look. “I think I’m hilarious.” Jongdae told him.   


“Don’t worry, I would’ve laughed if I was there.” Minseok reassured.    


“And then dragged your drunk ass home.” Baekhyun shot back.   


“Speaking of Jongdae being drunk.” Jimin said, louder this time. “Do you remember yelling out to that Park Chanyeol guy that Yixing and Baekhyun were ‘sucking faces’?”   


Baekhyun kicked Jimin in the shins, and Yixing squeezed Baekhyun’s shoulder.   


“No I do not.” Jongdae said, holding back laughs. Jongin snickered behind his cards, blocking his mouth from Baekhyun’s line of vision. “Chanyeol isn’t even here.”   


“He is.” Kyungsoo said, his head still in his hands. He also bit back laughs, but it was a little harder to tell with him. “He came back like, yesterday. We saw him for the first time then.”   


“Oh. My. GODS!” Jongdae yelled, pulling on his cheeks with his hands as he stood up, walking away from the table a few steps, turning his back to the table. “I hate myself!”   


“It’s alright, I hate you, too.” Baekhyun told him, and Minseok laughed from the phone, soon accompanied by the others.   


“Never let me get drunk again.”   


“Dae, you told me earlier the best way to get rid of a hangover is to drink it away and proceeded to take three shots back-to-back.”   
  
  
  


_ -Day 369; Friday, June 1st, 2018- _

Kim Minseok was set to arrive back home in six days. Kim Jongdae was set to graduate in a few hours.   


It was strange not having Minseok at his university graduation. He was one of the only people Jongdae really wanted there. He knew his family was there, he had seen them; his mother and father saw him before he ran off to wait in the gym. They said his brother and his wife, Anneliese, were there too, but waiting in the auditorium. Anneliese was pregnant, and it was easier for her to sit than stand constantly.   


Jongdae stood in the gym with his other friends who were graduating, leaning against a wall and biting on the nail of his thumb, nervously awaiting a text back or phone call from Minseok. Just  _ something _ from him.    


It was a Friday, and Jongdae knew Minseok was especially busy on Fridays. And there was the time change, making it close to noon in Moscow.   


Couldn’t he at least get a ‘congrats on graduating’?   


 

“Jongdae won’t stop texting.” Minseok related, biting his lip. He was still feeling groggy from jet lag.   


“Text him something small.” Jongdae’s mother, Kim Hyeeun, said, gesturing to his phone. “You don’t want him to worry, but still want to keep it a bit of a surprise.”   


“Text him something really general- borderline platonic, as if you’re uninterested.” Kim Joonjin, Jongdae’s older brother, chimed in.   


Minseok sat near the back of the auditorium, nestled in with Jongdae’s parents, brother, and sister-in-law.   


He was originally due to fly back the sixth of June, but had been able to fly back a few days earlier for Jongdae’s graduation. He had spent the extra day trying his best to sleep off jet lag at Dae’s parents’.   


Minseok paused a moment before texting back.   


**not minseok✨** : min 

**not minseok✨** : minnie 

**not minseok✨** : call me?   
**not minseok✨** : or at least text back?

**not minseok✨** : please?   
**not minseok✨** :  пожалуйста

**not minseok✨** : I used google for that 🤗   
**not minseok✨** : I’m nervous and scared why did I think this was a good idea how did you do this    
**not minseok✨** : can you get putin to send over one of those nukes from the cold war and hit me    
**not minseok✨** : north korea won’t answer my calls   
**not jongdae🌈** : don’t worry DaeDae :) you’ll do fine and survive I love you 💕   
**not minseok✨** : so that’s a yes on me being nuked?   
  


Somehow, Jongdae and his friends managed to graduate without dying. He didn’t know how, but they did.   


They all stood outside the auditorium, wearing the graduation robes. The first thing Oh Sehun said when he saw them was how ugly the graduation robes were and how he would never be caught dead in those.   


“No congratulations?” Byun Baekhyun joked, being dragged to the side by his mother for photos. After a moment, she gestured Jongdae over.   


“I want one of the two of you now!” she said, and Jongdae’s mother rushed over, trying to get her share of photos of Jongdae and Baekhyun squished together, their smiles half faked and half genuine.   


“Okay, now you get in there!” Mrs. Byun exclaimed, ushering Zhang Yixing into the frame, posing behind them.   


“Get me in one!” a voice called out, and Jongdae felt hands on his shoulders, being pulled closely into someone.   


Jongdae turned around to see who was behind him, being immediately met with the familiar wide, bright smile, and warm eyes he loved so much.   


“Holy fuck!” Jongdae cried, jumping back a few steps in surprise and covering his mouth with his hands.   


Those around him laughed, as a doubled-over Jongdae took a moment to compose himself. Like when he sent Minseok off, he didn’t want to cry, and seeing him so suddenly when he didn’t expect it (and, in all honesty, had begun to feel a little irritated with him) was a tad overwhelming.   


“Are you gonna hug me or what?” Minseok asked, reaching over and pulling on his sleeve. “I didn’t wait almost a whole year just to see you cry.”   


Jongdae straightened himself up, the back of his palm pressed against his mouth. He sniffed, allowing Minseok to wrap an arm around him and pull him in close. Minseok pawed at Jongdae’s eyes, wiping away the tears he so desperately tried to hold back.   


“You’re not real.” Jongdae whispered, reaching up and laying a hand on Minseok’s cheek. It was soft, and warmer than usual.   


His comment sent his friends and family into an uproar again, and even Minseok laughed as he placed his hand over his own. “I’m real.”    


“No you’re not.”    


“If I wasn’t real, would I do this?” Minseok asked, leaning in and pressing his lips to Jongdae’s.   


Again it felt different than any other time he had kissed Minseok. Despite it being nothing but a small little smooch, no tongue or biting or anything, just lips on lips, it still filled Jongdae in every aspect. It was like the joyous, heated make-out session at the end of a movie, hair blowing in the wind as the sun set and every and all problems were solved and everything was right in the world.   


Pulling away, Jongdae broke out into a grin, laughing and leaning into Minseok’s chest. “I missed you, Min.” he muttered.    


“I missed you more.” Minseok replied, running his hand over his head and smoothing his hair down and away, kissing Jongdae’s temple.   


“Okay, one more photo!” Baekhyun’s mother cried, gesturing for the four of them to get together again.   


That was Jongdae’s favourite photo. Even though his eyes were still red and teary, all four of their smiles were so wide and genuine it was hard not to love it.    


Jongdae clung onto Minseok as if he was the last thing on Earth, and Minseok’s eyes were crinkled shut from laughing so much. Yixing was mid-blink, making him look half-asleep and even higher than usual, and Baekhyun’s lips were pursed slightly, highlighting them.   


It was the photo Jongdae easily looked the happiest in.    
  


 

After more photos and talking to families and a few more tears, Jongdae and his friends finally made their way outside again, sitting on the grass like they did last year.   


Again, they were joined by their friends in younger years, and Jongdae couldn’t help but think of this as some ongoing, never-ending friend group. He wasn’t the first to arrive, and he wasn’t the last. There was a good chance Xi Luhan and Kris Wu and Kim Junmyeon had sat here years before with their older graduating friends, and them with theirs, and so on and so forth until it reached whoever came up with the idea of sitting outside after graduation.   


He liked the idea of this tradition of sorts, of this constant flowing friend group. The idea that in some way, he’d always be here and that in a few year’s time, there’d still be a group of kids sitting out here after graduation.   


“I still can’t believe it.” Huang Zitao muttered, running a hand through his hair.    


“I didn’t even know arranged marriages were still a thing.” Baekhyun mused. He leaned against Yixing, half sitting in his lap, half not.   


“I kinda feel bad.” Park Jimin commented, picking at the grass below him. “I bet he feels sad.”   


“He’s beyond sad.” Sehun said, rolling his eyes. “It’s good for him. Finally, some social interaction that’s not me or his mom.”   


“Wait, who? What?” Minseok asked, confusion written all over his face. Jongdae was still sidled against him, his head on his shoulder and legs thrown over his. Minseok kept turning and planting kisses on his head, and their hands laid over top of one another’s.   


“You don’t know?” Tao, Jimin, and Sehun said in unison, gasping and holding a hand over their heart. Minseok shook his head blankly.   


“Junmyeon’s getting married.” Sehun said, leaning forward and resting a hand on Minseok’s foot. “It’s an arranged marriage. To Seo Juhyun.”   


If Minseok was drinking water, he surely would’ve spat it out. “Seo Juhyun?” he repeated. “Like,  _ the _ Seo Juhyun?”    


Everyone around them nodded. “DaeDae didn’t tell you?” Baekhyun asked. Again, Minseok shook his head.   


“It’s not like you gave me the chance to.” Jongdae muttered.   


“We found out like, a while ago now.” Tao added.    


“Some boyfriend you are.” Baekhyun teased, elbowing Jongdae in ribs.   


“You two are only dating?” Jeon Jungkook questioned, having an expression of shock and surprise. Minseok and Jongdae nodded while Baekhyun snickered. “I thought you two were like, married or something.”   


Everyone laughed at that, Sehun falling into Tao’s lap. “They practically are!” Baekhyun exclaimed.   


“And we thought Kris and Junmyeon acted like a married couple.” Yixing said.   


“A couple of _ moms _ .” Baekhyun snorted.   


“Who’s Kris?” Jungkook asked, again sending everyone into laughter.   


“Did you tell him anything?” Minseok queried, laughing and gesturing towards the younger boy.   


“I’ve been here just as long as he has and even I know!” Kim Jongin burst.   


“I’ve been here  _ shorte _ r than both of you and I know!” Lee Jooeun laughed.   


“That’s because you have a secret gossip for a boyfriend!” Baekhyun accused, standing up and gesturing to a red-in-the-face Do Kyungsoo.    


“Don’t attack him!” Jongin defended, still laughing.   


“I still don’t know who Kris is!” Jungkook shouted, sending everyone into another fit of laughter.   


“So,” Sehun started, shifting towards Jungkook. “Kris was a friend of ours for awhile and met Junmyeon around this time last year. Totally hit it off, head-over-heels kinda chick flick stuff. But get this- Kris was set to head back to China around that time, but then that was pushed back to like, September or October. And then it pushed back up to August, but Kris never told Junmyeon. And then-È   


“Wait, why does it keep getting pushed?” Jungkook cut in.   


“Work.” Tao added. “He was sent here to study by them, so they basically dictated when and how he went back to China.”   


“Makes sense.”   


“As I was saying,” Sehun continued. “His work is like, “Dude. We can bring you back like, right now. In July.” And so he was like “Okay”, and he left. But he never told Junmyeon he left, just left a note, a photo, and a ring and then Junmyeon like, broke. You think he’s sad  _ now _ ? You should’ve seen him  _ then _ .”   


“It was kinda scary, seeing him.” Kyungsoo murmured. “He was like, an empty shell of a human.”   


“You’re an empty shell of a human.” Baekhyun fired back immediately, and again everyone laughed, Jongdae pointing out how Baekhyun didn’t even hesitate at saying that.   
  


 

“DaeDae?” Minseok asked. It was a while later, and they were among the few still left outside- Baekhyun, Jongin, and Sehun had fallen asleep, and Yixing played a hand game with Kyungsoo. Baekhyun’s head was in Yixing’s lap, Jongin and Sehun snuggled up together.    


“Yes, Min?”   


“I have something I want to tell you.” he took on a somber tone, one much different from earlier. It was a little worrisome for Jongdae.   


“Wanna tell me as we head out, Min?” Jongdae stood up, stretching his arms above his head.   


“No, here’s okay.” Minseok said, scrambling up. “Listen.” he grasped Jongdae’s hands, and Kyungsoo paused for a moment to glance at them from the corner of his eye. Minseok drew in a breath and sighed. He averted his gaze from Jongdae, but finally looked up at him. “You know I love you, right?”   


Jongdae gave Minseok a quizzical look, but nodded anyways. He was confused on what he was up to.    


“I always have and I always will, no matter what.” Minseok continued. “No matter who you’re with, where you are, what you’re doing, whether you love or hate me, I’ll always love you. You’re my first and only love and nothing can come between that or break it.   


“You’ve done so much for me and given me so much, and I don’t think you understand all of it, Jongdae. The one thing, however, that stands out and means the most to me is how happy you make me. Never had anyone I’ve ever met made me as happy as you do. It’s cheesy, I know, but you make me a better person.   


“Perhaps it’s selfish of me, but with my returning and your graduating it’s got me thinking about this new, kinda scary chapter in lives. Like everything else, it’ll be rough and we’ll have our ups and downs. And even if you don’t know things, I know that I love you. And that you make me happy, and I want to keep that happiness with me forever, and then whatever comes after forever, whatever forever means. What I’m trying to say is, Jongdae-”   


He cut himself off, releasing Jongdae’s hands and digging around in his jacket pocket while Yixing and Kyungsoo shook Baekhyun, Jongin, and Sehun awake.   


Minseok knelt down on one knee in the grass, opening the small black box he had taken out of his jacket. “Will you marry me?”   
  


 

Jongdae had one condition- that they take his family name. Minseok tried to take back the proposal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Požalujsta (пожалуйста) (Please, Russian)


	61. [PURPLE] XX / Finale, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; tobacco use

_-Day 73; Thursday, August 10th, 2017-_

Ten days after Kris Wu had left, Kim Junmyeon got a text that hurt him all over again.  
  
  

**luluhanxi7** : stop asking about kris

 **kim junmyeon.** : Im just trying to make sure he’s okay where he went why

 **luluhanxi7** : I get that, but you need to stop asking about him. We’ve told you all we can and all we know. Kris is gone. Somewhere in China, most likely. He’s gone off the grid and there’s nothing any of us can do about it. It hurts us just as much as it does you, so stop asking and fishing around because we can’t help you anymore.   


 

Junmyeon had spent the first day trying to get in touch with Kris. He managed to drag himself out to work, sending messages to and calling every social media page and email and number he found or had related to Kris.  
   

He spent the second day contacting anyone and everything related to Kris. That meant all their friends, everyone Kris followed, anyone he had ever contacted. Junmyeon had spent his first year in university majoring in criminology, and it finally came to push him forward.  
   

On the third day, Junmyeon called in sick to work. He refused to believe that Kris was really gone, and that this was some widely elaborate joke everyone was in on except him, and that with a bit of time even he would look back on this and laugh.  
   

The rest of the time was spent wallowing in self-pity, heartbreak, and sadness, not being able to bring himself to do anything.  
   

It was on the tenth day that the knock on his apartment door scared him so much he burst into tears like a child.  
   

He wiped at his eyes as he opened the door, revealing Oh Sehun standing on the other side.   
   

“Where have you been?” Sehun demanded, pushing past him and into the dark apartment. Junmyeon had the lights off and curtains drawn, trying to take his mind off of everything by distracting himself with a movie. He was on the fourth _Star Wars_ movie. For the fourth time.  
   

“Lovely to see you, too.” Junmyeon muttered, shutting the door. “And I’ve been here the entire time. And at work.”   
   

Sehun walked further into the apartment, moving the curtains away and letting in the light. Junmyeon hissed, turning away and shielding his eyes. “My lord, you’re a mess.” Sehun sighed. “It’s been what? A week?”  
   

“And three days.”  
   

“That’s not helping your case.” Sehun went about the apartment, throwing discarded takeout containers into bags and wiping down the counter.  
   

“What are you doing?” Junmyeon asked softly, still standing in the middle of the apartment, his eyes now adjusted to the influx of light.   
   

“Cleaning up.” Sehun answered, looking up over at him as he crouched down by the table. “Go take a shower. I can smell you from here.”  
   

“I don’t smell.” Junmyeon muttered, doing what he was told to do by the younger boy anyways.  
   

When he was finished, still shaking out his hair, Sehun had three plastic garbage bags propped up by the door. All the curtains and a window were open, the television switched off, and he was busying himself with the dishes in the sink.  
   

“Why are you doing this?” Junmyeon asked quietly, pulling on the hem of his shirt.  
   

“Because it’s quite obvious you’re sad, and it’s making me sad.” Sehun said, turning off the tap. “And by the looks of it, you’re slowly killing yourself, so you should be thanking me.”   
   

“I’m fine.” Junmyeon insisted. “I was watching _Star Wars_ .”   
   

Sehun shot him a look. “You’re not fine, Junmyeon. We’ve all seen your texts. And emails. And the amount of times you’ve called.”  
   

“How the hell?” Junmyeon asked, confused. The majority of those were private and unanswered on his phone, which was with him.   
   

Sehun grinned. “You could say we’ve had a little help from the inside if you know what I mean.”  
   

“Kris?” Junmyeon asked hopefully, perking up.  
   

“No.” Sehun shot him down. “It’s better if I don’t say. Now, we’re going swimming. Get your shit.”  
   

“You should’ve told me to shower _after_ we went swimming.”   
   

Sehun waved him off.  


 

_-Day 208; Saturday, December 23rd, 2017-_

Junmyeon stood outside the restaurant, leaning against the cool brick wall. He had a lit cigarette in his hand, the smoke curling from it and dripping off his lips, running off into the chilly, rainy night sky.  
   

Seo Juhyun stood beside him. As always, she was taller than him in her heels.   
   

They were both dressed up, Junmyeon wearing his best suit. It was dark, and Kris always said it fit him well. He had lost weight since the summer, but the suit still fit, not appearing baggy like some of his other clothes.  
   

Seohyun matched him, wearing a midnight blue dress that hugged her in all the right places. It fell short just above her knees. Her hair was left down, falling over her shoulders. He did have to admit she looked very nice, but couldn’t help but think of Kris’ comments about it- “Do you think she can breathe in that?” “I think Sehun would really like it. The dress, I mean. I think we’re all a little scared of her.” “I can see her knees. What a slut.”   
   

The two didn’t touch, actually having quite a bit of distance between them. Enough that a small child could fit between them.  
   

“I’m sorry.” Juhyun muttered, and Junmyeon turned to her. He looked at her, confused on why she would be apologizing to him as he flicked ash off the end of his cigarette away.  
   

“What are you sorry for?”  
   

“For getting us into this.” she spoke solemnly, and never looked at Junmyeon, keeping her gaze to the wet pavement below them.  
   

“It’s not your fault.” Junmyeon told her, pausing a moment. “How _did_ you get into this, anyways?” he brought his cigarette back up to his lips.   
   

“For a little bit- probably about the same amount of time as you and Kris- I had a thing with Choi Sooyoung. You know her, don’t you?” she finally turned to him, looking him in the eye. He nodded. Sooyoung was the girl he had tried his best to dance with at Luhan’s party before graduation.   
   

“Anyways, my parents found out about us one day. They forced us apart, and they were so horrified to find out that I loved another woman instead of a man that they did _this_ .” she made a sweeping motion with her hand. Her outside hand, the one furthest from Junmyeon. Her right hand.   
   

Junmyeon knew she was left handed.  
   

“My mom never found out about Kris.” he said, breathing out. He could see his breath in the cold air, mixing with the cigarette smoke.   
   

“You know, they say you shouldn’t do that.”  
   

“Do what?”  
   

“Smoke. You’re killing yourself.”  
   

“Once upon a time, a certain boy told me that.” Junmyeon murmured, dropping his hand with the cigarette in it, but not letting the cigarette escape his fingers. He smiled sadly, thoughts of that night at Do Kyungsoo’s floating through his head.   
   

“Kris?” Juhyun questioned, and Junmyeon nodded. “He’s important to you, isn’t he?”  
   

“Very. Is Sooyoung important to you?”  
   

“More than you could ever imagine.” Juhyun answered, and Junmyeon could hear the sadness in her voice. She turned away from him again. “What happened to Kris? He loved you, didn’t he?”  
   

“Loves.” Junmyeon found himself correcting her without realizing. He didn’t even know if he did anymore. “And I don’t know. Some of my friends say it was his family or work. It could be because he lost interest in me; because of the government. Luhan says he’s just an asshole.”  
   

“So you haven’t talked to Kris since?”  
   

He shook his head. “No one’s seen or heard from him. Unless they just haven’t told me. Luhan says he’s gone off the grid. Changed numbers, emails, everything.”  
   

“Wow.” Seohyun muttered. “That is quite an asshole move.”  
   

“Tell me about it.”   
   

“I’m still seeing Sooyoung. Secretly, of course. Mostly texts right now. I thought you should know.”  
   

 _Great_ . Even his arranged marriage couldn’t work out. Was he really that unlovable? “That’s okay.” he said anyways. “If it was Kris, I’d do the same.”   
   

“Technically, I’m cheating on her with you, you know.” she looked at him again, a small smile spread across her face.  
   

“I’m honoured.” Junmyeon joked, dropping the last bit of his cigarette to the pavement, squishing it out underneath his dress shoes. “Ready to go back in? You look a little cold.” he offered up a smile and his hand for her, and she took it gingerly, as if he would break into a million pieces if she took it too harshly.  


 

_-Day 837; Monday, September 10th, 2019-_

Being married to Seo Juhyun (or Kim Juhyun now) took some adjusting, to say the least and put it nicely.  
   

At first, both Juhyun and Kim Junmyeon worked, and they didn’t see much of each other, which was fine with them.  
   

The apartment was large enough for the both of them, but they ended up moving out and buying an actual house. Whenever he was asked about it, he said it was because of the pregnancy, because it really did become too small for the both of them, any reason and excuse he could find under the sun. The only reason he didn’t give, the real reason (to him at least) was that no matter what he did, where he went, the apartment reminded him of Kris Wu.   
   

The sofa, which Kris would hang upside down off of; the counters, that Kris leaned and sat on; the floors he slid across in his socks; the squeaky tap in the bathroom Kris would play with just to annoy Junmyeon.  
   

His new home, which he shared with Juhyun, and a few months after they moved their twins as well, was completely Kris-free. Although he couldn’t help but think of Kris hanging from the new sofa and leaning against the new counters and sliding across the new floors and playing with the new taps, it was Kris-free.  
   

In April of that year, almost a year after they were married, Juhyun gave birth to a set of twins- a boy, Eunjoon, and a girl, Eunra.   
   

Juhyun of course took maternity leave for a few months, and after that, both of them took as little hours as they could, trying to even out their time with the twins. Eventually it evened out that Junmyeon spent Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays with the twins, and Juhyun took Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Juhyun worked shorter hours and did more work at home for the twins, so Junmyeon was okay with taking more days off.   
   

Besides, he loved his children. He’d rather spend time with them than other people’s.   
   

In early September, Junmyeon was home, trying to make himself something for lunch while keeping an eye on the twins. Eunjoon was asleep in a playpen, Eunra gurgling and blowing bubbles while seated in a play chair, repeatedly flinging flimsy stalk toys and hitting roller pods so they spun around and made noises.   
   

As Junmyeon screwed the lids back onto condiments, there was a knock on the door.   
   

Junmyeon knew exactly who it was. It was weird for him to knock. He was the only person to repeatedly stop by for him, to continually be there for him. Sure, his other friends were there for him; attending his wedding, seeing his children when they were first born, things like that. But he was the only one that made it a point to see him at least once a week, whether that meant showing up at his house or meeting for lunch.  
   

“It’s open!” Junmyeon hollered, gently lifting Eunra out of the play chair. He didn’t care that he was yelling while Eunjoon sleeping- he knew full well that kid could sleep through anything. He took after his mother in that way.  
   

“Junmyeon?” a voice called out. A voice Junmyeon knew all too well. A voice that sent chills down his spine.  
   

The door opened, and as Junmyeon made his way to the door, he found himself wrapping his arms tighter around his daughter, making sure the baby gate was closed tightly behind him.  
   

Junmyeon didn’t say anything, just stood there as he watched him step onto the mat, not bothering to remove his shoes, hat, or jacket quite yet.   
   

Junmyeon did his best to avoid his gaze, stall conversation, but considering he was standing here in his home, that was near impossible.   
   

“Junmyeon.” he repeated, quietly; wondrously.   
   

Junmyeon swallowed sharply before answering, adjusting his grip on Eunra. “Kris.” his breath became shaky, feeling his heart beat increase.   
   

Kris took a step forward, reaching out, and Junmyeon took a step back. Kris frowned, dropping his hand.  
   

“What are you doing here?” Junmyeon asked, not looking Kris in the eye. Eunra, who had been quiet since Kris stepped in the door, made bubbles, grabbing at the neckline of Junmyeon’s stained tee shirt.   
   

“I came to see you.” Kris said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.   
   

Junmyeon considered his statement for a moment. “It’s late.” he said. “Have you eaten?”  
   

Kris shook his head. “Haven’t been hungry.”   
   

Junmyeon sighed, making his way over and unlocking the baby gate. “Take off your shoes. I’ll make you something.”   
  

Kris knew better than to protest, and Kris quickly kicked off his shoes, following Junmyeon through the baby gate. He tried to close it behind himself, slamming and opening it repeatedly.  
   

“Easy.” Junmyeon cautioned, sliding Eunra back into the play chair. She immediately hit a stalk toy, causing it to bang harshly off of Junmyeon’s wrist. “You too.” he cooed, pinching her nose.  
   

Junmyeon walked over to where Kris was, still fiddling with the baby gate. He shut it with his hip, reaching over and fiddling with the lock. “Take a seat. What do you want?”  
   

Again, Kris did as he was told, pulling out the seat closest to him. “Who’s this? And just a water, please.” Kris asked, reaching over at Eunra.  
   

“Don’t touch her.” Junmyeon snapped, slapping his hand away. Kris retracted his hand, shooting Junmyeon a look. Junmyeon ignored it, walking over and taking a glass from the dry dish rack, sticking it under the tap. “That’s Eunra.” he said, and then gestured to the playpen. “And that’s Eunjoon.”  
   

“I didn’t know you babysat.” Junmyeon walked back over, handing Kris the glass.  
   

“It’s not babysitting if they’re your own kids.”  
   

Kris lurched forward, pressing his hand to his mouth as if spitting out his drink. “They’re _yours_ ?” Junmyeon nodded. “With _who_ ? Let me guess- Bae Joohyun.”   
   

“Ew, no.” Junmyeon said, making a face. “We’re just friends.” he leaned against the counter, crossing his arms and ankles. “Seo Juhyun.”  
   

“Seo Juhyun? Like, _the_ Seo Juhyun?”   
   

“Why does everyone keep saying that? Yes, “ _the_ ” Seo Juhyun. Well, Kim Juhyun, now.” he shrugged.   
   

“That’s fucking weird.” Kris commented, shaking his head.  
   

“Watch your language.”  
   

“Shit, sorry.” Junmyeon shot him a look, the noisemakers in Eunra’s play chair going off as she spun the the roller toy. “Is your other kid dead?”  
   

“Asleep. I just checked on him.” Junmyeon pushed himself away from the counter anyways, leaning over the playpen and checking on him again. As always, Eunjoon was alive and breathing. Straightening himself up, Junmyeon turned to Kris again. “What are you doing here?”  
   

“I told you-”  
   

“Who the frick frack is parked in your drive-” Oh Sehun declared, barging in. Both Junmyeon and Kris turned to him, standing in the doorway. Sehun noticed Kris right away. Despite being four years younger than him, Sehun gave him a death glare. “Get out.” he hissed.  
   

“Sehun-” Junmyeon said gently, taking a step forward and sticking his hand out, trying to calm him from afar.  
   

“Don’t you dare, Junmyeon.” Sehun growled, gesturing to him, and then sweeping his hand towards Kris. “Do you not remember anything? What that _asshole_ did to you?”   
   

“ _Sehun_ .”   
   

“Sorry.” he sighed, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. “It’s just that...” he groaned. “Honestly, this is worse than wearing white after Labour Day.”  
   

“Listen, I didn’t mean to-” Kris started, standing up, but Sehun quickly cut him off.  
   

“Shut your whore mouth.” he spat.  
   

“ _Sehun_ !” Junmyeon exclaimed. He knew better than anyone that language was to be clean around his kids.   
   

“Like they’re gonna flipping remember any of it, Junmyeon.”  
   

“I don’t care! Cut it out!”  
   

Sehun shook his head, removing his shoes and lining them up on the mat. He clambered over the baby gate, not bothering with the lock. He peered into the playpen. “Is he sleeping?”   
   

“No, he’s dead.” Kris commented.  
  

“Don’t make those kind of jokes.” Junmyeon warned. “Seriously.”  
   

“Sorry.” Kris muttered as Sehun made his way over to the fridge, pulling out a box, and pulling out a piece of pizza.  
   

“So,” Sehun said, leaning forward onto the counter, taking a bite of Junmyeon’s leftovers. “what are you doing here?”  
   

“You eat your pizza cold?” Kris asked, looking at him worriedly.  
  

“You think that shade of green looks good?” Sehun countered, raising an eyebrow. “My great aunt wore a shirt that shade. Know what happened to her? She _died_ . In that shirt.”   
   

“It’s an acquired taste.” Kris said, looking down at his jacket.   
   

“Okay, but seriously.” Sehun cut in. “What are you doing here?”  
   

“Like I told Junmyeon earlier, I came to see him.”  
   

“Bullshizzle.”  
  

“It’s true.”  
  

“Elaborate, then. How’d you get here? Why did you come back? Where did you go? Why couldn’t anyone contact you for a year?”   
   

Kris sighed, biting his cheek as he leaned back further in the chair. “I got here by plane. I came back because of my job. I went back to China. None of you could contact me because I turned my shi-” Kris dragged out the ‘i’ as Junmyeon shot him a look. “iuff off. Mhm. I turned my shiuff off.”   
   

Although Sehun was quite obviously not impressed with Kris’ answer, Junmyeon bit back a smile, crossing over and lifting Eunra out of the play chair, holding her close to him.  
   

“You turned your ‘shiuff’ off for a year?” Sehun grilled. Kris nodded, and Sehun grimaced. “Your Instagram says otherwise, sweetheart.”  
   

Kris paled, and Junmyeon felt himself shrinking. He began to feel awkward and out of place in his own home.   
   

“I’m sorry, okay?” Kris snapped, standing up. “I didn’t want to leave. You think I wanted to hurt you?” he turned to Junmyeon. “It took me _months_ to muster up the “courage” to tell you, and I use that term loosely. I love you, Kim Junmyeon. I never stopped loving you. You’re all I talk and think and dream about. I didn’t want to leave or hurt you, but _I had no other choice_ .”   
   

“But you did.” Junmyeon whispered, looking down. “You could’ve stayed. We were fine just how we were.”  
   

“You have to admit, Junmyeon, not everything was sunshine and rainbows between us.”  
   

Junmyeon snapped his gaze up. “And that’s not something we could’ve worked out? Not something we would’ve gotten over with a little bit of time? You know what?” Junmyeon shook his head, tongue in cheek. “Forget about it. I should’ve known better. For you, it’s easier to run away from your problems instead of facing of them.” Perhaps Junmyeon was right- trusting Wu Yifan was single-handedly the biggest mistake he had ever made.  
   

“You’re one to talk, Kim Junmyeon.”  
   

“I think you should go.” Junmyeon muttered.  
   

“Yeah, get the fuck outta my house.” Again, all three boys looked over to the door, where a seemingly pissed off Juhyun stood.   
   

“Good afternoon, Ms. Juhyun.” Sehun greeted quickly as Juhyun made her way through the baby gate, dropping her bag on the kitchen table.

“Warm up your pizza, Sehun.” she snapped, reaching over and slipping Eunra out of Junmyeon’s arms.  
   

“Yes ma’am.” Sehun answered, immediately reaching for a plate and shoving it in the microwave.  
   

“And Kris?” Juhyun said, facing him. “Get the fuck out of my house. I don’t know why you’re here or how you got this address, but I swear to the Lord if you step foot on this property again I’ll make you wish you were never born.”   
   

“Seriously, Myeon?” Kris scoffed, jabbing a thumb in Seohyun’s direction. “You’re gonna let her do this?”  
   

Junmyeon nodded slowly, walking over and unlocking the baby gate. “I think you should leave, Kris.”  
   

Kris shot a look to Sehun, who turned away and faced the microwave. Scoffing again, Kris trudged over to the door, stuffing his feet back into his shoes. “I’ll see you later, Myeon.”  
   

“I think the fuck not.” Juhyun called. “You do so much as say his name and I’ll stop your damn heart, just try me.”   
   

“Yes, ma’am.” Kris said, and turned left.   
   

Junmyeon shut the door carefully behind him, leaning his head against the cool metal, his hand still gripping the handle.  
   

“You tell me if he does anything to you again, okay?” Juhyun said, taking on a much softer tone. His head still pressed against the door, Junmyeon nodded. “You okay hon?”  
   

“I’ll be fine.” he murmured.   
   

“I’ll give you a minute.” she went over and scooped over a stirring Eunjoon, carrying them out of the kitchen and foyer.   
   

Junmyeon didn’t see him, but Sehun made his way towards him, and eventually Junmyeon’s head was pressed against the younger boy’s shoulder instead of the door.  
  

“It’s okay.” Sehun consoled, his arms tight around his back and shoulders. “He won’t hurt you again, okay?”  
   

Junmyeon couldn’t help but sob. It was so much easier being hurt when you weren’t the one hurting. But here he stood, having just played part in kicking Kris out of his house. Perhaps kicking away his one last shot at being happy with him.  
   

“I love him, Sehunnie. I really do.” it came out muffled into his shoulder.  
   

“Forget about him, okay? He’s nothing but trash and you know that better than anyone. Don’t let him get to you. He just wants to see you hurt.”  
  

Junmyeon wasn’t good at many things. He was horrible at science when he was in school, and he was horrible at making and actually keeping many friends. He wasn’t very good at socialization or understanding people.   
   

But Kris had come along and shattered all that. Sure, Kris didn’t make him some science genius, but he made him feel better about himself. He slept through the night, talked more than usual, actually went out places.  
   

Another thing he didn’t understand was why Kris did what he did, despite the reasons he had gave. If they let him talk more, would it have become clearer? Would it have ended the same? Worse? Better?   
   

Perhaps Kris and Junmyeon were dated and cursed from the start, destined to crash and burn in a fiery glow no matter what. Or perhaps there really was some way they worked out, their happily ever afters intertwining.  
   

As he sobbed into Sehun’s shoulder, he didn’t understand why. Because he had thrown out Kris? Thrown away his only shot with him? Because he had seen Kris for the first time in over a year? Because of what Sehun and Juhyun said? Because he was overtired from children crying all night and his emotions were more out of whack than a pregnant, soon-to-be teen mom?  
   

Junmyeon was unsure if he wanted to know the factors of it all. For once, he didn’t want to understand the entirety of it.


	62. [COFFEE] I / June First

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Implied alcohol use; implied sexual references; strong language  
> [KYUNGSOO POV]

_ -Day 2; June 1st, 2017- _

I thought I knew many things. Apparently I do not.   


All I know of the past few hours is that I went to a party. Luhan hosted, as per usual. However, this time, he didn’t almost kill himself. Go Luhan.   


I went to the party with Chanyeol. I somehow got ahold of a drink. Everything is black and fuzzy from there.    


However, I was able to piece together other things that happened last night. Oh Sehun called my outfit trash. He is trash.    


I danced with girls. Seo Juhyun and Choi Sooyoung and their friends and some other guy. I don’t know who he was. I think we had sex, though. I know for sure one of us sucked the other off. I don’t know who.    


I woke up in Sehun’s dorm. He called my outfit trash again, and then called me trash. I called him trash and told him to shove his ego up his ass. It’d reach far as it’s bigger than whatever dick he’s getting right now.   


I think that’s his problem. He’s not getting dick right now. I could fix that for him. I wouldn’t do it personally, though. Kris would if I got him drunk enough. Sehun would agree if I paid him enough.    


Is this what being Cupid feels like? I truly am The Matchmaker. Watch out, Dolly Gallagher Levi, here I come.   


I start work on the 5th. I go home the 4th. I’m staying for graduation.


	63. [COFFEE] II / Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Medium language

_ -Day 15; June 14th, 2017- _

Kim Jongin would miss Taiwan. He had spent the last two years there, working hard on the first half of his ecology degree. It was a truly beautiful place- just type it into  _ Google Images _ .   


Jongin was set to return in a few months, doing his first semester of his third year there.    


He had stayed on campus at a university there, and he had to say his Chinese had gotten quite good while he was away. Sure, he still called his mother a horse (or a horse his mother) and addressed his teacher as “Mister Five”, but that’s beside the point.    


As much as he was going to miss Taiwan, for far too long had he missed Lee Taemin and it was about time he got to see him again.   


Jongin had been dating Taemin for three years now, seeing him only on holidays and through his phone for the majority of their relationship. He had worried that he had fallen in love with a “fake Taemin”; the one behind the screen and the one he saw on holidays and not the one he had seen so much more of before he had left. As both boys grew older, they changed, but Taemin couldn’t have changed that much, could he?   


Standing in the Korean airport, having just got off the plane and beginning to make his way through customs, Jongin made to send Taemin a text, but quickly deleted it and turned his phone off.   


He had arrived back in Korea earlier than expected, and had planned to show up at Taemin’s apartment and surprise him. He still had the spare key, after all.   


He had been trying to get a mutual friend of theirs to get Taemin out of the apartment for the day so he could sneak in and really set up a surprise. He wanted to go all out- balloons, treats, the whole nine yards.   


But he only received half-assed replies and excuses. Everyone suddenly had plans or things to do already or ignored him completely.   


Even when he asked for a ride home, having forgotten that Taemin had dropped him off at the airport the last time.   


Kim Jongin was taking the bus home.


	64. [COFFEE] III / Boxer Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language

_ -Day 15; June 14th, 2017- _

Kim Jongin had nothing but his luggage, phone, earphones, ₩60,000 he had taken from an ATM (plus whatever spare change he had), his wallet (which contained his driver’s license, a few cards, and other junk), his keys, and a pack of gum with only three pieces left on him.   


Five hundred of his money went to bus fare, riding from the airport to the closest stop near Lee Taemin’s apartment. Another forty eight hundred went to a small cupcake shoppe two blocks away, where Jongin had carefully picked out a dozen delicately frosted cupcakes for him and Taemin.    


Jongin forgot a lot of things, especially with the adjustment from Taiwan to Korea. He had thanked the bus driver and lady who worked at the cupcake shoppe in Chinese, completely blanking on how to thank someone in his native language. However, the fact that the cupcakes in that specific shoppe were one of Taemin’s favourite treats was one thing Jongin would never forget.   


With ₩11,500 left in his pocket, Jongin walked the two blocks to Taemin’s apartment, balancing the pink box of cupcakes in his arms while trying to drag his luggage behind him.    


He wished he had a car to shove his luggage into, not having to go through the trouble of dragging it everywhere. Halfway down the second block he tried to console himself with the fact that once he reached the apartment building, he could put his suitcase on the elevator and forget about it until he pulled it down the short hallway. Then, it’d be much easier by the time he had to leave- he’d be cupcake-less as they’d undoubtedly be devoured by his sugar-crazy boyfriend, and he could throw his suitcase in the back of Taemin’s car.    


Jongin couldn’t help but smile to himself as he entered the apartment building, thinking of how happy Taemin would be to see him (and the cupcakes).    


The smile was quickly wiped off his face when he read the ‘out of order’ sign hastily taped to the elevator doors, knowing he’d have to hike his luggage and the cupcakes up three flights of stairs.   


It took him forty minutes of relentless up and down the stairs, first bringing the cupcakes up and placing them on the landing and then noisily hoisting the suitcase up. He repeated this until he reached the third floor, where he resulted back to balancing the cupcake box with one arm and pulling the suitcase with the other.   


His heart rate was quicker than normal when he fit his key into the lock of Taemin’s apartment not only because of the extra effort it took to take the stairs, but because of how excited he felt finally being able to see his boyfriend again.    


Another thing Jongin would never forget is what key lead to Taemin’s- perhaps the fact that neon green nail polish was smeared across it, the apartment number written on it in _ Sharpie _ helped.   


As quietly as he could, Jongin opened the door and stepped inside, softly closing the door behind him and padding across the carpeted floor to round the corner that served as a foyer.    


Jongin knew the layout of the apartment like the back of his hand. The left wall moved in, creating a makeshift hallway at the entrance. The right wall quickly melted into kitchen, which curved to make an island bar counter. Beyond that was a living space- the television and a sofa, overlooking a wide window that exhibited the busy city below. To the left of the kitchen was another sofa, a dining table, and Taemin’s bedroom and bathroom.    


As Jongin rounded the corner, he half expected to see Taemin at the dining table, slaving over a paper or snack or lounging on the second sofa, watching a movie on his laptop or napping.   


The sight of his boyfriend shirtless and on top of another man in nothing but his boxers is not what Jongin expected to see.    


It was ultimately enough to have his jaw drop in surprise and shock and to cause the box of cupcakes to drop to the floor. The lid flew open, and cupcakes smeared icing along the inside of the box, mixing with one another. One even bounced right out, mixing icing and carpet.   


“Taemin?” Jongin squeaked out, his mind rushing to come up with some sort of explanation for this.    


The mystery Boxer Boy was a cousin of Taemin’s, and Taemin was simply checking the back of his neck for whatever abhorrence the boy may have back there.   


Taemin had went back to school without Jongin’s knowing and was conducting some strange sort of science experiment.   


Taemin was reaching behind Boxer Boy, trying to retrieve whatever had fallen or was thrown behind him.    


There was no way Taemin was kissing this boy’s neck. There was no way Taemin’s hand was creeping up this boy’s chest or playing with the waistline of his boxers.   


Immediately after Jongin opened his mouth, Taemin bounced off of Boxer Boy, jolting upright. He regarded Jongin with surprise and shock- and not the surprise and shock Jongin wanted.    


“Nini?” Taemin demanded. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be gone for another-”   


“Tae?” Boxer Boy sat up, leaning on Taemin’s shoulder. “Who’s this?”    


“I’m Taemin’s boyfriend of three years- soon to be four- Kim Jongin.” Jongin huffed, crossing his arms. “And who may you be?”   


Boxer Boy leaned off of Taemin, shooting him a dirty look. “Taemin’s supposed boyfriend of about a year.” He turned back to Jongin, looking him up and down.   


“Guys, it’s not what you think-” Taemin began, holding his arms out as if trying to press the angry tension in the room down.    


“Not what we think?” Boxer Boy asked, appalled. He got up off the sofa, matching Jongin’s posture. “You never told me you had a boyfriend. You told me you were single!”   


“He was away!” Taemin exclaimed, gesturing towards Jongin. “What else was I supposed to do?”   


“You cheated on me.” Jongin said meekly. He didn’t realize he was speaking until he was- it was as if someone was using his mouth to talk. “Who else, Tae? Who else?”   


“I swear, Nini, he was the only one-”   


“Don’t call me that.”   


“Nini-”   


“I said don’t call me that!” Jongin burst, flinging his arms down in anger.   


He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. What he was hearing had to be some weird, twisted sort of joke Taemin was playing on him. Jongin hated this feeling, this feeling of boiling, rising, twisting, shaking anger and pounding, stinging tears.    


“Ever again!” Jongin continued. “Anything! At all!”   


In a fit of anger, Jongin flustered around for a split second before bending over and picking up one of the smashed cupcakes. Lucky for him, it was still mainly in tact, and he chucked it at Taemin’s face, watching as it made contact and slid down his face, onto his chest and onto the floor, smearing icing.   


Jongin huffed again and grabbed the handle of his suitcase, turning away and planning on thundering away as angrily as the stairs and suitcase would allow him to.   


He was halfway down the hall when he turned back around, slamming back into the apartment.    


“You can have your stupid key back!” Jongin shouted, digging his keys out of his pocket and fiddling with the key, trying to work it off the key ring. “I’ll mail it to you once I can get it off!” He gave up after a way-too-long awkward moment, grabbing the handle of the suitcase and leaving again.   


The stairs were much easier with steam to burn off, no cupcakes to worry about, and a suitcase that could take a beating.   


Jongin was outside the bus stop, seated on the bench and still fiddling with the keys ten minutes later.    


“Nini?”   


Jongin snapped his head up at the sound of his nickname. He expected to see Taemin there, begging for forgiveness and explaining everything. He wanted him to say that it was okay, they could still be together; that everything would work out.   


Jongin desperately wanted everything between him and Taemin to be okay. He wanted everything to go back to normal.   


Instead of Taemin, Boxer Boy (who was no longer in his boxers, but rather a pair of faded jeans and a black tee shirt that loudly advertised some band Jongin had never heard of) stood there.   


“Kim Jongin.” Jongin corrected. Nini was not something this  _ whore _ could call him.   


“Right. Jongun.” Boxer Boy sighed. “May I sit?”   


“Jong _ in _ .” Jongin corrected again. His name wasn’t that hard to say, was it? Did he subconsciously develop some sort of accent while he was away? “Not my bench to tell you no.”   


Boxer Boy took this as an invitation and plopped himself down beside Jongin. He fidgeted with his phone in his hands, turning it over in his palm and trying to avoid eye contact with Jongin.   


“Listen.” Boxer Boy sighed again. “I want you to know I didn’t know he had a boyfriend. He told me he was single. No one mentioned anything about you. I would never have hooked up with him if I had known you were in the picture. I’m so sorry, Jongin.”   


“It’s not you I’m mad at.” Jongin muttered. He copied Boxer Boy’s mannerism, still playing with the key ring in his lap and looking down.   


“I know. It’s just...” he trailed off and sighed yet again, leaning back and running a hand through his hair before tilting to the side, digging out his wallet. He opened it, and thrust Jongin a few bills. “This should cover the cost of the cupcakes. I took this earlier from Taemin’s wallet for coffees. Think of it as from him to you through me.”   


Jongin finally looked up and over at him. He had dark hair and a sharp jaw, ending in a pointed chin. His nose was sharp too; his cheekbones high.   


Jongin took the money from him, folding it and putting it in his pocket. “Thanks.” Jongin did not want to talk to him.   


“There should be extra there, too. How long were you gone?”   


“Two years. But I came back for holidays and summer.”   


“So last time you were here was December?”   


Jongin nodded.   


“Down the street that way-” Boxer Boy pointed to the right, opposite the way he came from. “a new coffee shoppe opened. They opened in March. It’s across from the bar. They have good coffee. You look like you need one.”    


And with that Boxer Boy pushed himself up off the bench with a huff. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Jongun-”   


“Jong _ in _ .”   


“Yes. Jongin. Although I wish we met under different circumstances. Do you need a ride home?”   


Jongin shook his head. Although he seemed nice enough, and what happened wasn’t entirely his fault, Jongin did not want to ride home with him. In Jongin’s mind, it was easier to place the blame, hurt, and anger on him than Taemin.    


“Fair enough. Here’s my number if you do need anything, though. I know this looks like a pick-me-up, but I swear it’s not.” he laughed, handing Jongin a business card.   
  


_ Kim Kibum _ _   
_ _ Divorce Lawyer  _

_ 869-1691 _ _   
_ __   


Jongin looked up, but Boxer Boy was already gone. Whether he went back into the apartment to be with Taemin or was swallowed whole by the crowd was not something Jongin knew, nor cared about.   


He was tempted to rip it in half, let it flutter down the street.   


Instead, he folded it and tucked it away in his pocket with the money Kibum gave him.


	65. [COFFEE] IV / Pretty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Medium language; mention of alcohol

_ -Day 15; June 14th, 2017- _

Kim Kibum was right.    


The coffee shoppe did have good coffee.    


And hot staff.   


About a half hour later, Kim Jongin sat at the bus stop yet again. Another box of treats sat in his lap, a coffee in hand. Thoughts of the boy crowded his head.   


 

_ Waiting in line, thumbing through the cash he had on him, Jongin decided what he wanted and if he had enough for it all. _ _   
_ __

_ He carefully practiced what he would say, making sure no Chinese slipped in and it truly was fully Korean. _ _   
_ __

_ Once he stepped up to the cash, the sight of the tired, annoyed-looking boy quickly wiped any practiced speech and simple order out of his mind. _ _   
_ __

_ Immediately after, feelings of guilt creeped in. This is exactly what Taemin had done, no? Jongin didn’t know what exactly he thought of this boy, being able to only describe him as _ pretty _. And that was a stab at Jongin’s heart. He loved Taemin. This was worse than what he had done to him. _ _   
_ __

_ But obviously, Taemin didn’t love him. He wouldn’t have been with Boxer Boy then, right? So of course, Jongin should feel no guilt in finding this boy  _ pretty _. Even when he was with Taemin, he found other boys  _ pretty _. Brendon Urie was  _ pretty _. His friend, Oh Sehun, was  _ pretty _. Jongin wouldn’t a hundred percent agree, but Taemin found Kibum  _ pretty _. _ _   
_ __

_ Taemin had moved on to another  _ pretty _ boy. Why couldn’t Jongin? _ _   
_ __

_ Still, the thought of both Jongin and Taemin being with other pretty boys that were not each other made him feel guilty. He felt it twisting and festering inside of his stomach, making him sick. _ _   
_ __

_ “What can I get you?” the pretty boy asked. He looked up at him, making eye contact.  _ Eye contact _. That was enough to send Jongin into cardiac arrest. _ _   
_ __

_ “How much for a shot in my coffee?” _ _   
_ __

_ Pretty Boy blinked at him. “Caramel shots are-” _ _   
_ __

_ “No, no.” Jongin shook his head. “A  _ shot  _ shot. Something strong. Like vodka or tequila or-” _ _   
_ __

_ “Sir, this is a coffee shop. We don’t serve alcohol here.” _ _   
_ __

_ “How much do you want?” _ _   
_ __

_ “Are you trying to  _ bribe _ me?” he demanded, looking offended.  _ _   
_ __

No no no that’s not what he meant he was trying to joke around please don’t take it this way the wrong way it’s just a joke- _   
_ __

_ Jongin laughed. “If I can’t get alcohol here, what else?” _ _   
_ __

_ Pretty Boy sighed. “There’s freshly baked cupcakes every hour.” he spoke monotonously, as if reciting study material.  _ _   
_ __

_ “I’ll take ten of those and a coffee, please.” _ _   
_ __

_ “ _ Ten? _ ” he repeated, taken aback.  _ _   
_ __

_ Jongin nodded. “One for myself and then one for each member of my family.” _ _   
_ __

_ “You have a large family.” he muttered, punching Jongin’s order into the cash register. _ _   
_ __

_ “You’re one to talk, Soo.” a girl approached, leaning onto Pretty Boy’s shoulder. Her hair was dyed a muddled shade of pink, that somehow looked good on her. It was tied up atop her head, and she had a drink in hand which she pressed into Pretty Boy’s chest. “I’m clocking out now, ‘kay?” She patted him on the back, leaving the drink with him and exiting into the back.  _ _   
_ __

_ Pretty Boy sighed, setting the empty plastic cup beside the cash. “Is there anything else I can get you?” Jongin shook his head. “Can I get a name?” _ _   
_ __

_ Jongin was taken aback. Was this a pick-me-up? Better than Kibum’s, that’s for sure. This boy was smooth. Jongin liked that. _ _   
_ __

_ “Kim Jongin. And what may yours be?” _ _   
_ __

_ Again, the boy blinked at him. “It’s for your order, sir.” _ _   
_ __

Shit. Play it cool, Jongin, play it cool.

 

_ “I know.” _ _   
_ __

_ Again, the boy sighed, relaying Jongin his total. A polite way to say ‘get the fuck out of here.’ _ _   
_ __

_ Not too long later, Jongin left the coffee shop with yet another box of (un-smashed) cupcakes and a coffee cup with his name prettily written across it in hand. _ _   
_ __

_ Underneath his name, scribbled almost illegibly, were three digits. _ _   
_ __

_ “Come back soon.” Pretty Boy called as Jongin left the shop, cracking a smile as he untied the back of his apron. _   


 

Luckily, Jongin had enough time to kill on the bus to study the three numbers carefully, having deciphered them as  _ 721 _ , but still wondering what they meant by the time he arrived on the front step of his family home.   


“I’m home!” he called as he opened the door. He kicked off his shoes, parking his suitcase near the door and still balancing the box of cupcakes carefully.   


“Uncle Nini!” a little voice squealed, and two little girls came peeking around the corner. They both immediately attached themselves to his leg.   


“Did you bring back presents?” one asked.   


“Did you miss me?”   


“Did you turn Chinese while you were gone?”   


“Did you get lost? Mommy said you’d get lost.”   


Jongin laughed, holding the cupcake box over his head. “Yes, yes, no, and one too many times.” he shook them off, and the two girls trailed behind him as he made his way into the kitchen.   


His mother and his two eldest sisters (mother to his two nieces) were in the kitchen, preparing dinner.    


Their husbands and Jongin’s father were in the living room, parked in front of the television, watching some sport Jongin would have to pretend to care about later.   


His youngest sister (eight years older than him) sat on the floor, _ Barbie _ dolls, play clothes, play cars, and a stray  _ Skip-It _ near her, littering his parents’ house.   


Jongin had a large family, one that continued to grow.    


He had three older sisters- Subin, Jihu, and Mihyeon.    


Subin had married Lee Yunghwan, and Jongin liked him. They had two daughters, Yeongsook, aged seven, and Misook, aged four.   


Jihu was also married, to some guy Jongin did not particularly like named Kang Duri. They had no children (although Jongin had found out against his will that they had been trying but continually failing). That did not make Jongin like the guy anymore. He found Duri quite stuck-up and snobbish; he was worse than all three of his sisters to him.   


“Nini!” Subin exclaimed when he entered, crossing the room to embrace him and plant a kiss on his cheek.   


“You’ve gained weight.” was all Jihu told him, poking him in the ribs and taking the box of cupcakes and setting it down on the counter.   


“Did you bring me back a nice Chinese boy?” Mihyeon chided, handing dollies off to Yeongsook and Misook, who had quickly lost interest in Jongin.   


“If he did, as if he’d give him to you.” Yunghwan called over. He stood up with his father, but quickly sat back down when he realized Duri wasn’t getting up to greet Jongin. He probably figured that it wasn’t their place to immediately greet Jongin, despite that being the reason they were here.   


His mother quickly attacked Jongin, pestering him with kisses and a million questions Jongin couldn’t catch.   


“Mom!” Jongin laughed, shoving her off and swiping at his cheek. “And I can’t even bring back a  _ Korean _ boy, let alone a Chinese one.” he said, turning to Mihyeon.   


His sisters sighed. “Did you break up with Taemin again?” Subin asked sympathetically.   


Jongin nodded.   


“He’ll come crawling back by Saturday like all the other times you broke up.” Jihu said, earning herself a thunk on the back of the head from Subin.   


Jongin shook his head, sitting at the island counter beside Mihyeon. “No. We’re done. For real this time.”   


“That’s what you said last time.” Jihu argued.   


“And the time before that.” Mihyeon added.   


“And the time before that, and the time before that...” Jihu trailed off, and it was Jongin’s turn to sigh.   


“I know, but I’m serious this time!”   


He was.   


Jongin knew he and Taemin could be quite on-again off-again, but he couldn’t help it.   


They had broken up a few days before Jongin was set to leave for Taiwan the first time. They got back together the day he left. They broke up again a few months later, saying the distance was too much, but by the time Jongin returned that summer they were back together. The third time they had broken up was during Christmas holidays that year after an argument. They made up again at New Year’s, and had been okay since.   


Or so Jongin thought.   


How many other people had Taemin been with during that time?   


“He cheated on me.” Jongin lamented, leaning onto the counter. “And lied! He’s such a jerk. I hate him.”   


“Watch your language.” Subin called over her shoulder, having returned to preparing dinner.   


Jongin mocked her behind her back- his language was mild around the children. He had quite a few choice words for Taemin now that he had gotten a chance to really mull the situation over.   


“I told you that Taemin was no good.” was Jihu’s attempt to console him.   


“Maybe I should get with him.” Mihyeon considered, and Jongin shot her a look.   


“He probably already has.” Jongin pouted.   


“Shall I go over there and sock him one?” Yunghwan laughed, finally coming over. He, too, sat at the island counter on the opposite side of Mihyeon. “Like you told me?”   


Jongin laughed. It was true- when his sisters starting dating anyone, he always tried to give them the ‘Brother Talk’, despite these men usually being older than him. Jongin felt it was his duty as brother. He could usually get a good sense on guys based on how the conversation went.    


He’ll admit, Yunghwan’s conversation wasn’t exactly threatening coming from a thirteen year old, but he had taken it to heart nonetheless.   


Jongin was twenty and much stronger than his thirteen year old self when he talked to Duri. Yet, Duri still told him that if Jongin tried anything, he’d hit him right back and proceeded to call him names that were probably supposed to be affectionate. Jongin didn’t take to kindly to them, and he decided he hated Kang Duri ever since.   


“You’ll warm up to him.” Jihu said when he told her he didn’t like him.   


Three years later, and Jongin still hadn’t ‘warmed up’ to him.   


“I think it’s good you’re done with Taemin.” Subin said, bringing Jongin back. “It wasn’t the best relationship to start off with.”   


His sisters went on to pick Taemin apart, and even Yunghwan chimed in a few times.   


When Jongin had first brought Taemin home, Yunghwan had returned the favour and gave him the ‘Brother Talk’.    


Duri seemed indifferent to Jongin bringing home a boy, and Jongin came to the conclusion that he was homophobic and hated him more.   


Later that night, after dinner and after chasing down little girls to wipe cupcake remnants off their faces, Jongin lay in the spare bed of his parents’ home.   


Across from him, his sister Mihyeon lay on the pull-out.   


Subin, Jihu, and their families had left a while ago, returning to their own homes. Jongin stayed with his parents over the summer and holidays- there was no point in buying a place of his own when we was just going to run off back to Taiwan in a few weeks.   


Mihyeon stayed the night as she lived far out and didn’t like driving at night. Jongin offered to drive her home, but she already had her overnight things and didn’t want Jongin to go through the trouble of taking her home.   


“Nini?” she asked, breaking the silence of the dark room.   


“Hm?” he replied groggily, turning over to face her.   


“If he tried, would you get back with Taemin again?”   


“Mmhm.” he protested.   


“Good. I think he’s kind of trashy. He never treated you well. You deserve better.” Jongin didn’t say anything. “He wasn’t even that pretty, anyways.”   


“I wouldn’t go that far.” Jongin laughed.   


“Good night, Nini.”   


“Night, Mimi.”


	66. [COFFEE] V / To Get Over You, I'll Get Under Him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Mentions of suicide; mentions of alcohol use; implied sexual references

_ -Day 16; June 15th, 2017- _

“I’m going into town!” Kim Jongin cried. He stood in the foyer of his house, shoving his feet sloppily into his shoes.    


“Be back before dark!” his mother yelled back. “Don’t get kidnapped!”   


“I’m taking the car!”   


“Don’t mess it up or I’ll mess you up!”   


As Jongin drove into the busy city, he went over what he wanted to say. What he wanted; how much he had.    


He convinced himself this was apart of his process in getting over Lee Taemin, and that any guilt or longing he felt was normal and was to be pushed aside.    


He convinced himself he never really loved Lee Taemin. They were too ‘on-again off-again’ and spent too much time apart for him to have any real feelings for him.   


He convinced himself moving on was the best option for everyone as he pushed the door to the coffee shoppe open, standing in line.   


Making it look as if he was trying to sneak a glance at the menu, Jongin craned his neck to get a look at the baristas.   


There he was, dark hair trimmed short and swept atop his head, white apron tied around his neck.    


“Bring any alcohol for me today?” Jongin asked when he approached the counter.   


Pretty Boy glanced up at him, and Jongin would swear on his grave that he cracked a slight smile, which quickly disappeared afterwards.   


“Perhaps.” he mused. “Depends on what your offer is.”   


“My offer depends on how much you want.”   


“I’ll tack on however much I want, then.”   


“Sounds like a deal.”   


“How many shots do you want?”   


“How many does it take to count as an overdose?”   


Pretty Boy glanced up, marker hovering above the plastic cup he was about to scribble on. “I’m not helping you in assisted suicide. Hyejeong may, though.”   


Jongin faked a scoff. “What’s the point, then?”   


“The point is,” he began, finally meeting the pen to the plastic. “is that you need to stick around and show up here when I work to bribe me to put shots of alcohol in your coffee so I can pay off all my university expenses.”   


“Jokes on you, I can’t even pay all of  _ my _ university expenses.”   


The boy laughed, setting the cup down on the counter. “Get out of here before I charge you more.”   


Jongin walked out of the coffee shoppe a few moments later, another two digits written on his cup- 38.   
  
~•~   
  


_ -Day 17; June 18th, 2017- _

For the third day in a row, at the same time, Kim Jongin entered the coffee shoppe.   


“Riddle me this,” Jongin started, leaning on the counter. Pretty Boy looked at him, waiting. “Perhaps I’ve just been gone too long, but I don’t think people write numbers on cups.”   


He blinked at Jongin, and then picked up a new cup, quickly scribbling on it.   


“Perhaps add these two to them and you may have yourself a phone number.” he handed him the cup, and Jongin walked out of the coffee shoppe that day with an empty plastic cup.   
  


  
**jonginini** : hello?   
**kyungsoo93** : whatever you’re selling,I don’t want it.   
**jonginini** : but I’ve buying off of you for the past three days   
**kyunsgoo93** : I thought you were trying to sell me something. Didn’t recognize the number.   
**jonginini** : I am trying to sell you something 😉   
**kyungsoo93** : I’m very conflicted on whether I like the sounds of that or not.   
**jonginini** : I’m trying to sell you my love    
**jonginini** : 💕💜💖💗💞💓   
**jonginini** : Everything is 100% Off in my bedroom    
**kyungsoo93** : that was incredibly cheesy yet smooth.   
**kyungsoo93** : do you have a car?   
**jonginini** : Yea   
**jonginini** : Why?   
**jonginini** : you some kind of gold digger or smth    
**kyungsoo93** : my shift ends at 3:30. pick me up and we’ll go out for lunch.    
**jonginini** : sounds like a deal   
**kyungsoo93** : you don’t happen to keep a bottle of tequila in the back of your car, no?   
**jonginini** : I do now   
**kyungsoo93** : Good.


	67. [COFFEE] VI / Time, Taiwan, and Tequila

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Alcohol consumption; implied sexual references

_ -Day 18; June 17th, 2017- _

“...and he was my roommate.” Do Kyungsoo finished, slipping the dirty apron off his neck and hanging it back up in place.    


“You’re sure about this?” Shin Hyejeong asked. She leaned against the lockers, her arms crossed.   


Kyungsoo nodded. “You’ve seen him before. He looks pretty harmless. He should be here soon- I can scope him out to you again.”   


“So this is a date?”   


“I wouldn’t exactly call it a date.” Kyungsoo opened his locker, retrieving his things.    


“Still,” Hyejeong pressed. “You need to look date-ready.”   


“What?”   


She sighed and turned away, running her hand under the sink and then stroking it through his hair. “Remember to keep your back straight, hands free, and don’t make too much eye contact, but none at all, either.”    


“You’re confusing me.”   


“Have you never been on a date before?”   


“Yes, but this isn’t a date.”   


“Treat it like one. Treat everything like one.”   


“You make no sense. You’re crazy.”   


“Not the first time I’ve heard that. Now,” she put her arms around his shoulders from behind. “also remember to keep your chin up and act like it’s not much to you. Guys dig it.”   


“Lay off.” Kyungsoo scowled, throwing her off. “Seriously, I’m fine.” He turned away, leaving the back room and entering the store.    


Standing near the end of the line yet not in it, was Kim Jongin. He leaned against the wall, staring down at his phone. He looked annoyed.   


That set Kyungsoo off slightly- did that mean he was going to be annoyed all throughout lunch? Was he annoyed that he had to be here? Was he annoyed with Kyungsoo?    


Nonetheless, belongings in hand, Kyungsoo ran out and up to Jongin.    


“Hey.” Kyungsoo smiled. Jongin looked up, the annoyed look on his face disappearing and lighting up.   


“Hi.” he breathed, pocketing his phone. “How are you?”   


“I’m alright.”   


As they walked out of the coffee shoppe, Hyejeong groaned behind them. If Kyungsoo ever wanted Jongin to hold his hand, he couldn’t carry everything with him.   
  
~•~   
  


“You’ve never been?” Kyungsoo asked, reaching over and picking off of Jongin’s plate. “It’s popular. Are you not from around here?”   


“I am, I just haven’t been around lately.” Jongin mused. “I’ve been studying for the past few years in Taiwan.”   


“I’ve heard Taiwan is nice.”   


“Word of advice- never get drunk in Taiwan.”   


Kyungsoo laughed. “I feel like there’s a story behind this.”   


“There is. I got really drunk one night, and woke up in the next town over with my hair dyed blue. I was in a hotel, a man sleeping in the bed beside me and a woman on the couch who looked like a hooker. I had a ring on my finger-” he paused to wiggle his ring finger on his left hand at him. “and three tickets to Las Vegas had been bought with my credit card.”   


“You don’t even know who those people were?” Kyungsoo asked, laughing.   


Jongin shook his head, suppressing a smile. “I ran out before they woke up. Needless to say, I’m pretty sure I’m legally married to someone in Taiwan. Not sure who, but someone.”   


Kyungsoo laughed again. “Well, that’s one divorce under your belt.”   


“Who knows? Maybe I’ll figure out who it is and decide not to divorce them. They might be hot. Or I could have like, sister wives or something.”   


“Sister wives.” Kyungsoo muttered. “That’s interesting.”   


“I read a book about a girl who had sister wives as mothers. It was actually kinda cool, even though they like, all died at the end.”   


“Doesn’t everyone die in the end?”   


“Well, when you put it  _ that _ way.”   
  
~•~   


“Three sisters.” Jongin clarified, laying back so his feet hung off the end of the trunk. “They’re all older than me, though.”   


“See, all my sisters are younger.” Kyungsoo also laid in the back of the car, resting his head on Jongin’s chest. The tequila bottle was cold in his hands, and it rested against Jongin’s arm. “My mom had my one brother, and then me, and then the triplets.”   


“Triplets?” Jongin demanded, straightening up and shifting around. Kyungsoo nodded. “That’s crazy.”   


“They’re considerably younger than me, too. They’re five.”   


“Holy. I’m the baby of the family.”   


“I was up until about five years ago.”    


Jongin laughed, taking the bottle from Kyungsoo and bringing it to his lips. “You said you were in university?” Again, Kyungsoo nodded. “What are you studying?”   


“Law and Justice.”    


“And I thought my major was impressive.”   


“What are  _ you _ studying?”   


“Ecology.”   


“Ecology’s cool. That’s like…nature and stuff, right?”   


Jongin laughed. “Yeah. Yeah, pretty much.”   


Both Jongin and Kyungsoo lay there, talking about anything and everything, passing the bottle of tequila back and forth.    


Kyungsoo told Jongin stories of his friends, mainly stupid shit Park Chanyeol got himself into.    


Jongin told Kyungsoo stories of his misadventures in Taiwan; the stuff his sisters got him into.    


It was much later in the day, in the evening, when Kyungsoo finally managed to stumble in through his door, half-drunk, half-asleep, and half-giggles.   


He was so out of it he let Chanyeol carry him to his bedroom, take his pants off and leave them on the floor while he tried to make him sleep, despite the amount of times Kyungsoo kept wandering back out looking for food.   


“Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo loud-whispered, bringing his face close to his friend’s while Chanyeol tried to guide him back to his room for a third time. “You should’ve seen him. He was so cute. And he’s got three sisters-” he clumsily held up a hand; an attempt to stick up three fingers. He put the majority of them down, unintentionally flipping Chanyeol off. He laughed before he continued with what he was trying to tell Chanyeol. “And they’re all older than him. And he can drive and he has tequila.”   


“And you’ve had your fair share of tequila, too.” Chanyeol told him, laughing. “Now, it’s time to sleep. You can talk to and about this Jongin later.”   


“But I’m not tired.” Kyungsoo argued, and then grabbed the sides of Chanyeol’s face and pulled him in close. “I’m too hungry to sleep.”    


“I’ve already fed you.”   


“I’m still hungry.”   


“No you’re not.” Chanyeol tried to pull him back to bed, and Kyungsoo slid down to the floor, hanging onto Chanyeol’s arms.    


“I don’t wanna sleep.” Kyungsoo complained, and Chanyeol sighed and turned him around, literally dragging the drunken Do Kyungsoo to bed.    


“He has really pretty eyes, Chanyeol.”


	68. [COFFEE] VII / Put Your Number In My Phone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Sexual references

_ WARNING: Sexual references  _

_ -Day 42; July 11th, 2017- _

The majority of the summer passed quickly for Do Kyungsoo thereafter.    


It mainly consisted of tidying up after either Park Chanyeol or the triplets (Hyunmi, Sooji, and Kyunghee), working long shifts with Shin Hyejeong, and small (mainly impromptu) dates with Kim Jongin.   


Hyejeong was right. That’s what they were. Dates. They had established that the first time the two had kissed, running from the cafe to Jongin’s car to avoid the rain. Jongin had pulled the two to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk, kissing him on the lips, and he kissed him again inside his car after listening to Kyungsoo complain about being drenched.   


They had established that the first time Kyungsoo had went over to Jongin’s for dinner, listening to the stories his sisters told and the slight bickering being entertaining for him.    


They had established that the first time Jongin went to Kyungsoo’s for dinner, Jongin getting along incredibly well with the triplets (to the point when Hyunmi went as far as to add Jongin to her plastic play phone).   


They had established that the first time they had sex, when Kyungsoo had the house to himself for a weekend and Jongin stayed with him. 

 

“This is the first time I’ve done this with a man.” Kyungsoo whispered, trailing his fingers down Jongin’s chest.

 

“Don’t worry.” Jongin reassured, kissing his jaw. “You’re in good hands.”   


They had established that when they spent a rainy afternoon at Jongin’s, a few weeks after their first lunch date and Jongin’s phone rang.   


Jongin had run off to get food and find another blanket, and Kyungsoo had reached over and picked up his boyfriend’s phone, thinking nothing of it.   


“Hello?” Kyungsoo asked into the receiver.   


“Jongin.” a voice breathed from the other side of the line. It sounded desperate and weak, as if whoever it belonged to was on the point of breaking (if they hadn’t already). It was deep, belonging to a man.   


“Kyungsoo.” he corrected. “You must have the wrong number.” He went to hang up, not wanting someone to disrupt their afternoon for something that could surely wait until later.    


“No, wait!” the voice called out, pleading, and Kyungsoo brought the phone up to his ear again. “K-Kyungsoo did you say?”   


“Mm.”   


“I’m Taemin. I know this isn’t a wrong number. I’ve had this number for  _ years _ . It’s always belonged to Jongin, and always will. He wouldn’t change it- he has international coverage for it and he can’t afford to pay for it again. Please, let me talk to Jongin.”   


“What business do you have with him?” Kyungsoo inquired. He’d take up the majority of what the man said later- perhaps he was right, it really was a wrong number; another Jongin.   


“He’s my boyfriend.”   


“ _ Boyfriend _ ?” Kyungsoo reiterated.   


“Yes, boyfriend. Please let me talk to him, it’s important. I need him.”   


“Oh, you’ll be talking to him alright.” he said angrily, pushing himself off the sofa and storming down the direction Jongin had run off to. “Kim Jongin!”   


“Hm?” Jongin stood in front of a linen closet, blankets draped over his arms.   


“Who’s this?” he demanded, flashing the phone screen at Jongin. “You have a  _ boyfriend _ ? After all  _ this _ ? How long, Jongin? How long?”   


Jongin squinted at the phone, rolled his eyes, and then slid the phone out of Kyungsoo’s hands, hanging up and slipping it into his pocket.   


“No one, Soo, I swear.” Jongin said cautiously. He had his hands up in front of him, as if up in surrender or getting ready to shove him over.    


“I don’t want your bullshit answer, Jongin.”   


“Soo, really.” Jongin reached forward, grabbing Kyungsoo’s wrists. “He’s no one. I dated him for a few years, okay? But that was before you. Before I met you. He cheated on me. And honestly? It was such a shit relationship- just ask any of my sisters. We were really off and on, I’ll admit that, but I’m done with him, Soo. Really. So over him.”   


“Then why does he keep calling you?” Any accusation had left Kyungsoo’s voice, and he didn’t bother with pulling his wrists away.   


“Because one of us always went crawling back when he broke up, and because I’m not doing it, he is. But I swear, I haven’t picked up once.”   


“Then block his number.”   


“Fine then.” Jongin dug around in his back pocket for his phone, and Kyungsoo watched as he tapped around on it, ultimately adding the contact to the blocked callers list. “Now,” Jongin continued, tucking his phone away. “Ready to have your life changed? I swear-”    


“One last thing.” Kyungsoo said, his voice still serious. Jongin looked at him inquisitively, urging him to go on. “I said it was a wrong number and he said he knew it was you because your number had international coverage that you still needed.”   


At first Jongin looked confused, but he began to laugh after a moment. “He’s right, I still have international coverage. I don’t get why that’s bothering you, though.” He reached forward, wrapping his arm around his waist and pulling him in close.   


“Why?” Do Kyungsoo did not make eye contact with him, but allowed himself to lean against his chest.   


“Why what?” Jongin asked as he wrapped his other arm around his waist.   


“Why do you still have it? You’re still paying for it, aren’t you?”   


“Because I still need it. Soo, you’re confusing me.”   


“Why do you still need it?” Despite his efforts to keep it out, accusation still laced his tone again.    


“You don’t want me to ever travel again?” Jongin looked at Kyungsoo, an eyebrow cocked. “I’ll need it for August when I go back to Taiwan.”   


Kyungsoo felt his heart plummet down to his feet, as if someone had pulled it out completely.    


He turned his face away from Jongin, still leaning against him. He reached up and wrapped his arms around his neck.   


“You’re going back?” his voice was weaker now as he pushed the rising lump in Is throat down.   


Why did he feel like this? He hadn’t know Jongin for long. He knew he had studied in Taiwan. Why did talk of him going back make him react like this? Why did he seem to care so much?   


“I have to.” Jongin muttered, pressing a kiss on his forehead.    


Kyungsoo found himself tightening his fists, bringing Jongin’s shirt with it before he realized he replied with a “Don’t.”    


“Soo.”   


“Don’t leave me.” It was as if someone else was speaking, doing the work for him. He tried so hard to keep his mouth shut, push Jongin away, keep the tears at bay, but it was as if he had no control over himself anymore. It was as if he was a mere onlooker; an audience member in a theatre.   


“Don’t leave me.” Kyungsoo repeated, his arms tightening around Jongin. “Don’t leave me here. Jongin, I can’t be here alone. I don’t want to, I can’t do it.”    


“Kyungsoo? Is everything alright?” Jongin asked, tightening his grip on Kyungsoo.   


“I can’t lose you, too. I’ll have no one.”    


“Soo? Is there something you’re not telling me?” he laid a hand gently on his cheek, tilting Kyungsoo’s head upwards, forcing him to make eye contact with him.   


“Chanyeol will be on the other side of the globe, and you’ll be in another country and Sehun-”    


“Whoa whoa whoa.” Jongin urged, trying to slow him down. He ran his hands up and down his arms. “What? What do you mean?”   


Kyungsoo released the back of Jongin’s tee shirt, trailing his hands up and over and onto his shoulders. “Chanyeol’s going abroad to study.” he started slowly. Jongin nodded in agreement- Kyungsoo had told him of Chanyeol before, although the two had never met. “And with you going back to Taiwan, only Sehun and Hyejeong will be left and-”    


“Wait.” Jongin cut him off, pulling away. “Sehun? Oh Sehun?”   


Kyungsoo nodded, then realized he had never mentioned Oh Sehun to Jongin.   


“I went to school with him.” Jongin said. “We were friends, but not extremely close. We were closer when we were younger- I was the only one that would talk to him after his accident.”   


“An accident?” Kyungsoo asked, forgetting about what he was trying to tell Jongin for a moment.    


“Yeah. He got in a car accident, I think it was. I don’t really know. I do know his dad died in it, and he almost drowned. He had to be seven, maybe? I think he was comatose for a few months, too.”

“Oh my.” Kyungsoo muttered. “He never said anything about it.”   


“He never talked much about it. Anyways, you were saying?”   


Kyungsoo shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling of guilt that creeped in. He felt he had no right knowing about Sehun’s accident- if Sehun wanted Kyungsoo to know about it, he would’ve told him.   


“Sorry.” Kyungsoo murmured. “I was just saying that with both you and Chanyeol gone, Sehun and Hyejeong will really be my only friends I actually like and tolerate and feel close to at school.”    


Jongin clicked his tongue, pulling Kyungsoo in close again. “Can I tell you something?” he whispered, his lips brushing against the side of Kyungsoo’s head.   


“Always.” Kyungsoo breathed.   


“One of the main reasons I left for Taiwan in the first place was to get away from Taemin. I don’t want to go anymore, anyways.”    


“Application confirmations came out yesterday.” Kyungsoo said hurriedly. “All you have to do is email them back saying you don’t want-”    


Again, Jongin cut Kyungsoo off, this time with a kiss on the lips.   


“I don’t want you to go.” Kyungsoo whispered, tightening his fist again. “I love you too much.”

  
  


**kyungsoo93** : listen. I’m sorry about what I said earlier.   
**jonginini** : about the movie? lol dw I get its not everyone’s cup of tea

**jonginini** : get it    
**jonginini** : cause you work at a cafe   
**jonginini** : *finger guns*   
**kyungsoo93** : Jongin, Not now, please. This is important.   
**kyungsoo93** : And I mean about not wanting you to leave and everything. I don’t know what I was thinking or whatever. And as much as I want you to stay, I don’t want to hold you back, either. It’s important and beneficial for you and I don’t want to take that away from you.   
**jonginini** : can I tell you something??   
**kyungsoo93** : of course.   
**jonginini** : i don’t wanna go anymore anyways. There’s only so much Taiwan can teach me, right???? and there’s a course here in korea I can take about diminishing wildlife and its hands on and such   
**jonginini** : a lot like what I was doing in taiwan but in korean   
**kyungsoo93** : I know, but if you wanted to go back to Taiwan or wanted to go somewhere else I’m not going to hold you back from that.   
**jonginini** : lol dw babe you’re not   
**kyungsoo93** : isn’t that the kid from that cartoon   
**jonginini** : What???   
**kyungsoo93** : dw    
**jonginini** : omg    
**jonginini** : babe   
**jonginini** : IT MEANS DONT WORRY ASDFGHJKL IDIOT   
**kyungsoo93** : asdfghjkl?   
**jonginini** : I have so much to teach you oml   
**kyungsoo93** : ?? OML ??    
**kyungsoo93** : babe wait come back   
**kyungsoo93** : EXPLAIN THIS TO ME!!! YOU’RE CONFUSING ME!! WHAT IS THIS?


	69. [COFFEE] VIII / The Smartphone Hour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; sexual references

_ -Day 48; July 17th, 2017- _

**email notification:** ****  
_ to: kimjongin@naver.edu.com _ __   
_ from: zaidaedu@edu.gmail.com _ __   
  


_ Kim Jongin, _ __   
_ We are delighted to know you will be returning to complete your third year here with us! We are sending you this as confirmation for your classes and program changes. If you wish to make any more changes to your major, minor, enroll or withdraw from programs, or anything else regarding your classes, please contact us with the information below. Your changes have been made and your set classes are below. _ _   
_ __

_ Kim Jongin _ __   
_ Major- Ecology _ __   
_ Year- Third _ __   
_ Location- Korea _ __   
__ Accommodation Information- Building 3, floor 2, room 27 (3227); Jung Hoseok   
  


_ /jonginini sent a photo/ _   
**jonginini** : got it changed :)   
**kyungsoo93** : fuck you   
**kyungsoo93** : I told you not to.   
**jonginini** : i didn’t wanna go anyways!!!   
**kyungsoo93** : You’re just saying that.   
**jonginini** : stfu 🙄🙄   
**kyungsoo93** : BITCH I WILL CUT YOU   
**jonginini:** BITCH TRY ME

**kyungsoo93** : anyways   
**kyungsoo93** : I need you to drive me to the airport Friday.

**jonginini** : What for? Don’t you have your own license and a car anyways?   
**kyungsoo93** : Chanyeol leaves Friday and I said I’d come see him off. And yes, but I like it when you drive.  

**jonginini** : fine but you gotta pay gas I’m too 🅱️roke to keep driving you everywhere 

**kyungsoo93** : it’s okay; you love me

**jonginini** : >:( I hate that you’re right   
**kyungsoo93** : （＾◇＾）   
**jonginini** : WTF IS THAT   
**kyungsoo93** : idk sehun sent it to me.

**jonginini** : ofc smh   
**kyungsoo93** : smh??

**jonginini** : NOT A GAI N   
  


_ -Day 59; July 27th, 2017- _

**chanyeol_pcy** : soo?   
**kyungsoo93** : what do you want now?   
**chanyeol_pcy** : advice

**chanyeol_pcy** : some chocolate ice cream would be nice too    
**kyungsoo93** : okay, well. My advice is be a little more open-minded and self-sufficient. You could perhaps work on your wardrobe, too.

**chanyeol_pcy** : FUCK YOU THATS NOT WHAT I MEANT   
**kyungsoo93** : then?   
**chanyeol_pcy** : oml I just wanted to know what you thought of Baekhyun   
**kyungsoo93** : short and loud    
**chanyeol_pcy** : fuck i meant in terms of our relationship dumbass   
**chanyeol_pcy** : And he’s taller than you no??   
**kyungsoo93** : then just loud.   
**kyungsoo93** : and I don’t know? I don’t know what you want me to say or what you’re looking for. ****  
**chanyeol_pcy** : I should’ve texted seohyun smh anyways I mean like do you think we work?? do we belong together?? am I better off without him?? or he me??   
**kyungsoo93** : Christ slow down there socrates   
**kyungsoo93** : again, I’m not sure what you want me to say? I think you and Baekhyun worked really well before...you know...   
**chanyeol_pcy** : That sounds rlly ominous but ik what you mean it’s cool   
**chanyeol_pcy** : so you think we should end it??    
**kyungsoo93** : I don’t know I’m not really one to judge. Why?   
**chanyeol_pcy** : idk I feel like we’ve just been kinda off and on lately?? one day we’re inseparable and the next it’s like the other doesn’t exist    
**chanyeol_pcy** : it seems that no matter what I do I can’t make him happy and it hurts kyungsoo it fucking hurts I put my all into this and into him and I barely get anything back and if I do it’s not nearly as much as I’ve given him    
**kyungsoo93** : Just do what you feel best, I guess. If you think it’s better for the both of you to break up, do it. If you think it’s better to stay together, then do it. You do have to remember he’s going through a hard time right now, Chanyeol. He’s doing what he can.    
**chanyeol_pcy** : I know him better than you do i know he’s going thru sht and his accident still isnt an excuse to attach himself at the hip to me one day and then act like I don’t exist the next it’s like I only matter to him when he needs something im doing all I can to help him the least he can do is text me back    
**kyungsoo93** : Then break up with him.   
**chanyeol_pcy** : but I love him too much it hurts too much 

**kyungsoo93** : If you don’t want to break up with him, why are you messaging me?

 

~•~

_ -Day 60; July 28th, 2017- _

“You’re damn lucky I had no plans today.” Kim Jongin groaned, opening the car door while Do Kyungsoo slid in, smiling smugly.   


“Any plans you might’ve had would have been ten times worse than doing this with me.” Kyungsoo replied as Jongin shut the door behind him, walking over and climbing into the driver’s seat.    


Jongin rolled his eyes, pulling the car out. “Any plans I may have had would’ve involved someone who’s  _ not _ you, which would have made it better.”   


Kyungsoo reached over, slapping Jongin on the arm. “Take that back.” he scowled.   


“I’m serious!” Jongin laughed, deflecting another hit from his boyfriend. “I’m sick of you!”   


Kyungsoo let up, relaxing into the seat. “You’re lucky I need this ride or I’d jump out right now on you.”   


“Speaking of this ride,” Jongin started. “do I finally get to meet this Park Chanyeol?”   


Kyungsoo shook his head, humming in protest. “You can come, but you’re not meeting him. It’ll stress him out.”   


“That’s what you said last time.” Jongin pouted. “So you’re really just using me for a ride?”   


“‘Bout time you figured that out.”    
  
~•~   
  
“I swear I’ll pick you up when you come back.” Kyungsoo vowed, leaning on the table in front of him. “You’ve got to send me your flight details, though.”   


“I will, I will!” Park Chanyeol exclaimed, hitting Kyungsoo in the arm with his drink. “I’m a reliable and responsible person.”   


Kyungsoo pressed the back of his hand against his mouth, repressing a laugh. “When did you become such a funny one, Park Chanyeol?”   


“I’m serious.” Chanyeol scoffed.   


“And I’m serious about you keeping in touch.” Kyungsoo said, dropping his hand. “You’re famous for leaving.”   


“Not as famous as you are for leaving me on read.”   


“Yeah, but you deserve it.” Chanyeol didn’t say anything to that, instead slurping the rest of his drink through the plastic straw. “Listen, Yeol.” Kyungsoo spoke softly, and Chanyeol looked over at him. “I’m gonna say this once and never again. I’ll miss you.”   


Chanyeol choked for a moment on his straw, coughing. He then reached forward, pulling Kyungsoo in and wrapping his arms around him.   


Kyungsoo tried for a moment to wiggle himself free, and then gave up and reluctantly and awkwardly wrapped his arms around Chanyeol, giving him a small pat on the back.   


“I’ll miss you too.” Chanyeol muttered, and then kissed the top of his head.   


“Okay, that’s enough!” Kyungsoo exclaimed, pushing away from a laughing Chanyeol and swiping at the spot he had kissed.   


“It’s okay; I said ‘no homo’ beforehand.” Chanyeol reached over and dropped his drink in a garbage can, and then gripped the handle of his suitcase, surging forward.   


“No you didn’t!” Kyungsoo exclaimed, following him.   


“Shit. I thought it at least!”   


Kyungsoo groaned, rolling his eyes. “You see anyone else before you leave?”   


He nodded. “Jongdae and Minseok said a quick goodbye before they went over to Minseok’s gate.”   


“Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo posed cautiously.    


Chanyeol pressed his lips together, shaking his head. “Not yet. Haven’t even heard from him.”   


“Not at all?”    


“Nope.” Chanyeol sighed.   


“Did you talk to him since you talked to me?”    


“Nope.”   


Kyungsoo opened his mouth, about to reply, when a familiar voice cut through.   


“Chanyeol!” Byun Baekhyun’s voice rose above. “Chanyeol!”   


Kyungsoo turned around as he continued forward, trying his best to keep up with Chanyeol. “Chanyeol, that's him.” he said, pulling on his sleeve.   


“Hm?” Chanyeol hummed, stopping and turning around. “Oh my gosh, he came.”   


“I’ll see you later!” Kyungsoo called as Chanyeol took off, making his way towards Baekhyun.   


Knowing Chanyeol was now too wrapped up in Baekhyun, Kyungsoo also made his way back to the small airport food court where he had left Jongin.   


Just like he was when he left, Jongin was seated sideways at a table, hitting his phone with his thumb. His other hand was occupied with the plate of fries in front of him.   


“Do you want to bring those home?” Kyungsoo asked, taking the seat in front of him and a fry.    


Jongin clicked his phone off, turning to Kyungsoo. “No, unless you want them.”   


“Are you done or are you staying?”   


“Done.”    


Jongin stood up, carrying the fries over to the garbage. “How’d it go?” he asked, reaching down and gripping Kyungsoo’s hand. They both began to make their way out of the airport, seeing as there was no point in them staying.   


“Good, I think.” Kyungsoo frowned. “Baekhyun ended up coming, so I left. I still don’t know if I should be surprised or not.”   


“Baekhyung-“   


“Baek _ hyun _ .”   


“Right. Baekhyun. Isn’t he  _ dating _ Chanyeol?”   


Kyungsoo nodded. “Yeah, for most of the summer as far as I know.”    


“So why is it such a surprise that he showed up then?”   


“Okay, so,” Kyungsoo started, moving his free hand around as he spoke. “Chanyeol and Baekhyun started dating after they fucked at an end-of-year party when they were both drunk. But then not too long after that, Baekhyun and his brother got in a car accident, and his brother went comatose. Baekhyun’s been in and out of therapy since then. He also gets into what Chanyeol will call ‘a mood’ because of it, and he says that that plays into them being really off and on as of late. He even text me saying, and I quote- ‘One day we’re inseparable and the next it’s like the other doesn’t exist.’ and asked if I thought they should break up.”   


“Wow.” Jongin said. It sounded sarcastic, but Kyungsoo knew it was genuine.    


“And,” Kyungsoo continued. “you didn’t hear it from me, but I heard from Kim Junmyeon and Kris Wu Baekhyun’s been going around asking the same sort of thing. Yet, none of them have turned to Seo Juhyun.” He shrugged.   


“I’ve never heard any of those names before in my life.” Jongin laughed.   


“Junmyeon and Kris are two years ahead of us- they graduated this year. They’re dating, and like, practically married. And Seo Juhyun was Junmyeon’s roommate last year, and like, your typical mom friend. Apparently she’s dating Choi Sooyoung, but her parents are like,  _ really _ homophobic.”   


“Why do you know all this?” Jongin asked, laughing again.   


“This is basic information!” Kyungsoo told him, joining in on the laughter.   


“That guy looks a lot like that photo of Baekhyun you showed me, huh?” Jongin said, changing the topic.    


Jongin had his arm outstretched, gesturing to a man pushing past them. He looked slightly panicked and worried, as if he was late for something important.   


“That’s because it  _ is _ him.” Kyungsoo said quietly.    


Without letting go of Jongin’s hand, Kyungsoo stepped forward towards Baekhyun. “Baekhyun.” he started, and Baekhyun whipped around. He looked scared; caught off guard. “Are you looking for Chanyeol?”    


Perhaps he had somehow gotten separated from him because of the crowd, or who they thought was Baekhyun wasn’t really Baekhyun. No matter what, Baekhyun should still have been with Chanyeol- they would have only been together for a few moments, and surely people who truly wish to say goodbye take longer than that.   


“It’s alright.” Baekhyun said quickly. “I found him already. Thanks.”    


And then Baekhyun carried on, rushing away from them and pushing through the crowd.   


“I can see what Chanyeol means.” Jongin said, coming closer to Kyungsoo. He dropped his hand, opting to wrap his arm around his waist instead.    


“It’s strange.” Kyungsoo frowned, leaning his head against Jongin’s chest. “He’s acting strange.”    


It was then Kyungsoo’s phone vibrated in his pocket.   
  


**chanyeol_pcy** : call me   
**chanyeol_pcy** : like now please    
  


Park Chanyeol was impatient, especially when he needed or wanted something. As soon as Kyungsoo and Jongin continued on their way out of the airport, Chanyeol popped up on Kyungsoo’s phone as a caller.   


“Hello?” Kyungsoo asked, bringing his phone to his ear. Jongin shot him a questioning look. “Chanyeol.” he mouthed, lightly placing a hand over the phone.   


“Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol sounded slightly panicked, as if he had just received life-ending news.   


“Is everything alright?” Kyungsoo and Jongin walked out of the airport into the summer air, the sun bright and blinding.   


“Baekhyun broke up with me.” Chanyeol said, hurriedly.    


“Do you want me to come back?”   


“No, no, it’s fine. It’s great! We’re great!”   


“You’re confusing me. I thought you said you just broke up.”    


“We did. But it’s okay. We’re great. I’ll leave for Canada, I’ll come back in the winter and Baekhyun will realize how much he missed and needs me and we’ll get back together and everything will be fine.”    


Before Kyungsoo could reply, his phone vibrated against his cheek, and he pulled it away to check it.   
  


_/not minseok✨ has added chanyeol_pcy, kyungsoo93, kim junmyeon., doritao, not jongdae🌈, galaxykris🌟,  and oohsehunnie to the group/_ _  
_ __/not minseok🌟 named the chat ‘ARE MY EYES DECEIVING ME?’/  
 **not minseok** 🌟: ARE MY EYES DECEIVING ME OR DID I JUST SEE THE ONE AND ONLY BYUN BAEKHYUN AKA SLUTOSAURS REX LEAVE THE AIRPORT WITH ZHANG YIXING??  
  


“Did you just see what Jongdae sent?” Kyungsoo asked eagerly, bringing the phone back up to his ear.   


“‘Slutosaurs rex’.” Chanyeol repeated numbly as Kyungsoo slid into Jongin’s car.   


“Who’s Jongdae?” Jongin whispered. Kyungsoo held a finger up at him, telling him to wait a moment.   


“It’s probably nothing, Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo tried his best to console his friend.    


“He told me he still loved me.” Chanyeol still used that lame, numb tone. Chanyeol hung up before Kyungsoo could say or do anything more.   
  


**kim junmyeon.** : he’s been texting yixing for awhile    
**oohsehunnie** : how do you know what slut-o-holic’s been up to?? ****  
**chanyeol_pcy** : stop calling Baekhyun a slut he’s not    
**not minseok** ✨: yes he is   
**oohsehunnie** : yes he is   
**not jongdae** 🌈: yes he is   
**galaxykris** 🌟: yes he is    
**kyungsoo93** : yes he is ****  
**chanyeol_pcy** : you’re supposed to be on my side soo   
**oohsehunnie** : he can’t deny fax 🖨🐸☕️   
**doritao** : that’s GAY ST O P 🛑   
**galaxykris** 🌟: okay but baek literally told myeon + i that he was talking to yixing he even sent screenshots    
**oohsehunnie** : OMG THIS IS THE TEA I SIGNED UP FOR   
**doritao** : im lost fill me in    
**oohsehunnie** : okAY SO   
**oohsehunnie** : Baekhyun’s dating Chanyeol right    
**doritao** : that’s old news    
**oohsehunnie** : and yeollie here leaves for canada today so some of us went to see him off but he was just seen leaving the airport with zhang yixing AND proved to have been talking to him beforehand sO ****  
**doritao** : so??   
**not minseok** ✨: sO THEYRE TOTALLY FUCKING   
**chanyeol_pcy** : I can see all this ya know   
**not minseok** ✨: wait   
**not minseok** ✨: WHO CAME TO THE AIRPORT TO SEE YOU    
**chanyeol_pcy** : baekkie, ksoo and you and minseok   
**oohsehunnie** : I couldn’t get a ride over sorry :(    
**chanyeol_pcy** : dw idc   
**not minseok** ✨: ?? what did baekhyun say ??   
**chanyeol_pcy** : we broke up    
**chanyeol_pcy** : but he said he still loved me   
**kim junmyeon.** : awe I’m sorry chanyeollie    
**chanyeol_pcy** : It’s okay he still loves me   
**not minseok** ✨: I get it    
**not minseok** ✨: I still think they’re fucking tho lol sorry honnie


	70. [COFFEE] IX / Stand Back, Watch It Burn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Implied sexual references; strong language

_-Day 73; August 10th, 2017-_  

When Do Kyungsoo opened his dorm door, having returned from his first set of classes, he was surprised to see Kim Jongin seated on the sofa.  
   

“Nini?” Kyungsoo wondered aloud, and heads turned towards him.  
   

“Soo!” Jongin exclaimed, getting up and crossing the room. He kissed Kyungsoo on the lips as Kyungsoo set his books down on a table.  
   

“What are you doing here?”   
   

“Can’t wait for my favourite boyfriend to come back from classes?” Jongin posed, and Kyungsoo shot him a look. “Okay, I’m here playing _Candy Land_ with Sehun, Junmyeon, Baekhyun, Yixing, and Jongdae.”   
   

“You can be on a team with me, Kyungsoo!” Oh Sehun exclaimed. Kyungsoo looked past his boyfriend, and the other five boys were seated around the coffee table, an empty spot between Byun Baekhyun and Zhang Yixing and Sehun, where Jongin had presumably sat.  
   

“I’m okay.” Kyungsoo denied. “I don’t want to play.”  
   

“Loser has to buy drinks.” Kim Jongdae chimed in. “By the looks of it, it’s going to be Junmyeon, and we all know he’s the only one here who actually has money.”   
   

“I could use a drink.” Kim Junmyeon muttered. Jongdae held out his beer can, which Junmyeon took and sipped from before handing it back off.  
   

Kyungsoo and the others (minus Junmyeon) had started school at the beginning of the week. Baekhyun and Yixing were in their final year, and Jongin, Kyungsoo, and Sehun were in their third. Junmyeon had graduated the year before.   
   

Already, in a mere few days, Kyungsoo had noticed an almost complete uprooting in his friends. Perhaps it was Chanyeol’s absence and other’s presence.  
   

Kim Jongdae was right- Byun Baekhyun _was_ fucking Zhang Yixing, and the amount of affection they constantly showed each other grossed Kyungsoo the hell out. It seemed as if they were always all over each other, whether it was Baekhyun needing to sit on Yixing’s lap or the constant kisses or even the mere clasped hands or leaning against one another.   
   

Kim Jongdae was struggling without Kim Minseok- he had taken up drinking (which Oh Sehun placed blame on Kim Junmyeon for) and barely slept, getting up early and staying up late for phone calls with Minseok. He had become careless and reckless, already having skipped classes and abandoned almost all responsibilities the twenty-five year old had.  
   

Kim Junmyeon wasn’t much better. Kyungsoo observed that with Kris’ sudden disappearance, he was like an empty shell of a human. It was rare for a smile or a laugh, and a genuine one was non-existent. He, too, had taken up drinking and abandoning responsibilities. He barely left his apartment, doing what work he could from home. He only ever saw the sun when Oh Sehun dragged him out for _Candy Land_ at his old university.   
   

Huang Zitao had returned for a third year, still continuing his study in neuroscience. He was one of the only ones who hadn’t either taken a turn for the worst or changed completely (or both) along with Kyungsoo and Jongin.   
   

As people left their little friendship group, people also flowed in- they had recently welcomed two music majors in their first years, Jeon Jungkook and Park Jimin. Along with them came Jongin’s third year theatre major roommate, Jung Hoseok, a new fourth year friend of Jongdae’s, Lee Jooeun, and Kyungsoo’s own friend, Shin Hyejeong. There was Min Yoongi, too, a fourth year in Urban and Regional Planning. Last year, he had roomed with Junmyeon for a few days before moving out and being replaced with Seo Juhyun. Yoongi was a friend of Jungkook, Jimin, and Hoseok, and really only hung out with everyone because that’s where those three were.  
   

“Aren’t you on like, your third beer, Myeon?” Baekhyun asked. He was sat on Yixing’s lap, his arm thrown around his neck.  
   

“Today or since I got here?” Junmyeon retorted while Jongdae held up his beer can.  
   

“I’m on _my_ third.”   
   

“You two seriously need to get a hobby.” Sehun groaned.   
   

Sehun and Jongdae continued to argue back and forth, Junmyeon not bothering to intervene. Baekhyun and Yixing were too involved with one another to notice nor care, Yixing explaining something to a giggly Baekhyun.  
   

That left Kyungsoo and Jongin on their own, and Jongin took the opportunity to press another kiss on Kyungsoo’s lips. “How was class?”  
   

“Boring.” Kyungsoo lamented. “It was kinda just like, review from past years.”   
   

“So you’ll do really well, then.” Jongin pressed another kiss to Kyungsoo’s cheek while Jongdae pushed past them, his phone to his ear.  
   

“I can hear you, Min. How was your day- wait no, how’d you sleep? It’s morning, isn’t it, Min?” he went on, pushing a million questions on him that Kyungsoo doubted Kim Minseok would even get a chance to answer.  
  
~•~

_-Day 74; August 11th, 2017-_

Friday nights were bonfire nights. Campus rules allowed reasonable sized bonfires, and every Friday night of June and August, students would go out back of the campus dorms and hold a bonfire.  
   

At the end of the year, students (especially graduates) would throw their old homework and projects into the fire. Do Kyungsoo had spotted girls tossing shirts and cards and other symbols of past relationships in there on numerous occasions. People almost always brought snacks, too, and there were plenty of hot dogs and marshmallows and s’mores to go around.   
   

“I can’t believe you’ve never had a s’more!” Jung Hoseok exclaimed, excitedly squishing a marshmallow and a square of chocolate together with two graham crackers. “This will seriously improve your entire life. You’ll get good grades, you’ll smile more, your skin will clear-”   
   

“Are you saying my skin is bad?” Oh Sehun barked, snatching the treat from Hoseok’s hands. “My skin is better than yours.”  
   

“Hobi’s skin only looks clear because he covers it all with makeup.” Park Jimin chimed in, causing Hoseok to chuck a marshmallow at the younger’s head.  
   

Do Kyungsoo, Jung Hoseok, Oh Sehun, Park Jimin, Kim Jongin, Lee Jooeun, Kim Jongdae, Byun Baekhyun, Zhang Yixing, Huang Zitao, Kim Junmyeon, Min Yoongi, Song Minho, Shin Hyejeong, and a few other female friends of hers were all gathered on one side of the fire. Everyone had brought their own lawn chairs, minus Baekhyun and Yixing, who had brought one, insisting the both of them could share (this again resulted in Baekhyun curled up on Yixing’s lap, resting his head against his chest when he was tired).   
   

Chairs had to be kept a certain distance from the fire, and so Hoseok, Jongin, Jimin, Jungkook, and Sehun knelt closer to the fire, sticking marshmallows in and trying to roast them. Jungkook kept keeping his in too long so it would catch on fire, melt, and fall off into the coals. Yoongi kept yelling that he was doing it wrong and for Hoseok to show him how to do it properly.   
   

“I can do it myself!” Jungkook yelled, flinging a burned and melted marshmallow into the fire in frustration. “I’m not a baby!”  
   

“You _are_ the baby of the group, Jungkook.” Jongdae pointed out, gesturing to him with his beer bottle. “You’re the youngest.”   
   

“Wouldn’t that mean Junmyeon’s the daddy, then?” Sehun asked, turning around the face them.  
   

“Never call me that again.” Junmyeon said through marshmallows shoved in his mouth.  
   

Meanwhile, Yixing squealed, throwing a laughing Baekhyun off of his lap as he threw his hands over his ears. “I’ve heard enough!” he yelled. “Enough! I don’t want to hear anymore! That’s disgusting! Why would you tell me that?”  
   

“That’s what happens, Yixing!” Hyejeong laughed beside him, her friends also doubled over. “We can’t help it!”  
   

“I can’t believe you study that.” Yixing spat as Baekhyun picked himself up off the ground, finding his spot back on Yixing’s lap.  
   

“Wait until you hear about childbirth.” Baekhyun retorted, causing the girls around them to explode into another uproar of laughter while Yixing yelled another string of protests.  
   

“Want one?” A hand holding a marshmallow appeared in front of Kyungsoo’s face. He looked up to see a grinning Jongin, and Kyungsoo smiled back, gingerly taking the treat as Jongin settled back into the chair beside him. “I tried to make it as perfect as I could.” Jongin continued, gesturing to the marshmallow. “Gooey on in the inside, but not burnt. I know you don’t like it burnt.”  
   

“Learned that the hard way, huh?” Kyungsoo asked, biting into the marshmallow. Jongin was right- he had done it just the way Kyungsoo liked it, the melting marshmallow dripping down his face and onto his hands.   
   

“You got a little something.” Jongin muttered, leaning in and kissing Kyungsoo’s lips, and then wiping at his chin.   
   

Kyungsoo laughed, pushing Jongin’s shoulder. “You’re so cheesy.”   
    

Jongin kissed Kyungsoo again. “What are you doing?”  
   

Kyungsoo shifted around in the chair, adjusting Jongin’s sweater around his shoulders. “Just watching.”  
   

“Watching what?”  
   

“This.” Kyungsoo gestured to the circle of people around them.   
   

“See anything interesting?”  
   

“Hyejeong and Baekhyun explained what a period is to Yixing. He didn’t like the idea of that.”  
   

“I don’t blame him.” Jongin sighed. “I don’t either. The horror of periods single handedly made me gay.”  
   

“I thought you were bisexual?”  
   

“I’m a homosexual hiding in the bisexual closet.”  
   

“Makes sense.” Kyungsoo murmured, and then gestured over to Jongdae. Jooeun was positioned above him, their faces close together. “Jooeun’s trying to get Jongdae to kiss her again.”   
   

“What’s her obsession with him?” Jongin asked as the two watched Jongdae take the other end of a stick of pocky in his teeth. They both made their way closer, and Jongdae snapped the candy stick at the last second.  
   

“You’ll have to get more creative than that, sweetheart.” he said, waving her off.  
   

“I don’t even know where she came from.” Kyungsoo shrugged. “I will though, don’t worry.”   
   

Jongin laughed. “I don’t doubt you will.”  
   

“Hey, Jongin!” Junmyeon yelled from across the circle, commanding everyone’s attention. “What’s your major?”  
   

“Ecology.” he answered hesitantly.   
   

“That’s like, nature and stuff, right?” Sehun asked, and Jongin nodded.   
   

“Can ice cream make birds and fish sick?” Junmyeon asked. Sehun shot him a look and hit him in the arm, but the older boy shrugged him off.  
   

Jongin seemed confused by the question, but answered anyways. “Well, depends on the kind of ice cream really. Most of it isn’t the best for them, but it won’t necessarily hurt them, either.”   
   

“Thanks.” Junmyeon muttered. Kyungsoo couldn’t read him- he seemed as if he had just found out his entire life had been a lie and he needed a moment to process everything.  
   

Sehun hit Junmyeon in the arm again. “Throw it in.”  
   

“What?”  
   

“You heard me. Throw it in. The fire.” Sehun pointed at the fire in front of them, and Junmyeon made a flicking motion with his wrist and then balled his hand into a fist, crossing it over his chest and away from Sehun.   
   

“Do you want another marshmallow?” Jongin asked, ripping Kyungsoo’s attention away.  
   

Kyungsoo shook his head, and then leaned his head on Jongin’s shoulder.   
   

“You seem tired.” Jongin continued, wrapping his arm around him. “You want to go back to my dorm?”   
   

Before Kyungsoo could answer a girl appeared in front of them, her hands on her hips. She was young, most likely a first or second year. “Do you know Lee Taemin?” she demanded.  
   

Jongin flinched at the name, and Kyungsoo leaned up off of him. “Why?” Jongin asked.   
   

“You’re Kim Jongin, aren’t you?” she pestered.  
   

“Why?” Jongin reiterated, shifting around on the seat. He shot Kyungsoo an unsure look, and Kyungsoo reached out and grabbed his hand.  
   

“Taemin!” she shouted, turning around. “He’s over here!”  
   

Before Jongin or Kyungsoo could do anything, Lee Taemin came rushing over, standing beside the girl. “Jongin.” he said breathlessly.  
   

“Go away, Taemin.” Jongin scowled. “I don’t want to see you.”   
   

“You haven’t been answering my calls, Nini.”   
   

“Don’t call me that.” Jongin stood up, and Kyungsoo followed suit. “Seriously, Taemin. Leave me the hell alone.”  
   

“Nini, I just want to talk.” Taemin reached out, placing a hand on Jongin’s arm.   
   

“I don’t want to talk to you!” Jongin shouted, throwing him off. “Seriously, Taemin! Fuck off!”  
   

Again, Taemin protested and reached out for Jongin, and the next thing Kyungsoo knew Jongin, the girl, and others around them gasped, Jongdae even holding back snickers. Taemin faced away from them, his hand cupping his cheek.  
   

“Kyungsoo, oh my God.” Jongin muttered, and it was then Kyungsoo realized his clenched fist extended in front of him.   
   

And then it clicked.  
   

Do Kyungsoo had punched Lee Taemin square in the jaw.  
   

What Do Kyungsoo did next was the only thing he knew what to do in this situation.  
   

He turned on his heel and ran, pushing over a lawn chair as he did so.  
   

“Kyungsoo!” Jongin yelled after him. A distance away from the fire and a loudly laughing Jongdae, Kyungsoo stopped and turned, allowing his boyfriend to catch up.  
   

When Jongin reached him, he grabbed his hand and continued on, half-dragging Kyungsoo with him.  
   

“Hurry!” Jongin exclaimed, laughing. “He’s fast! He used to run track!”  
   

The two ran to the back of the dorm rooms, circling around buildings two and three and down the gravel campus paths, ducking behind the wall of the gymnasium.   
   

“I can’t believe you did that.” Jongin panted, facing him. “That was…”  
   

“Unexpected.” Kyungsoo finished. “Sporadic.”   
   

“How’s your fist?”   
   

Kyungsoo glanced down at his hand, flexing and wiggling his fingers. It was in tact, but his knuckles were red and one was split and bleeding.   
   

“It’s fine.” Kyungsoo deadpanned, shaking his hand.  
   

“You’re bleeding.” Jongin pointed out, grabbing his hand and holding it closer to his face. “I’ve got _Band-Aids_ back at my dorm.”   
   

Jongin began to pull Kyungsoo along, going on about how he could easily fix the small split at his dorm.   
   

“I’m fine, Nini.” Kyungsoo protested. He tried to stop him, pull his hand away, but eventually gave up and resulted to following him anyways.  
   

When they reached Jongin’s dorm, Jongin immediately went to patching Kyungsoo up, cleaning the cut. Kyungsoo protested all the while but let Jongin do it anyways.  
   

However, when Jongin started ripping a bandage open from a box of _Hello Kitty_ themed bandages, Kyungsoo ripped his hand away.   
   

“Hell no!” he shouted. “I’m _fine_ , Jongin, really.”   
   

“No,” Jongin pouted, holding the half-opened bandage out. “Let me just put a _Band-Aid_ on it, please.”   
   

“I will not be caught _dead_ with a _Hello Kitty_ bandage on my knuckle because I punched someone.”   
   

Jongin reached out, grabbing Kyungsoo’s hand and placed the bandage on his hand. Kyungsoo shot him an annoyed look, and Jongin grinned back and kissed his hand.   
   

“You’re so cheesy.” Kyungsoo bit back a laugh, shoving Jongin away and holding his hand away from him.  
   

“You’ve only told me that a few times.” Jongin laughed, wrapping his arm around Kyungsoo and pulling him into his chest. He leaned down, kissing his lips.  
   

Kyungsoo relaxed into him, kissing him back. Kyungsoo had kissed people before, but none had felt as natural and as good as Jongin felt. They fit together perfectly, as if their lips alone were made for one another’s. Their kisses were natural and easy, as if it was something they had grown up knowing how to do.  
   

“It’s just us two here right now.” Jongin murmured against his lips, his hand resting against the side of Kyungsoo’s face. “I could tell Hoseok to crash at someone else’s for the night. We can be loud.”  
   

“I like the sounds of that.” Kyungsoo whispered, and then kissed him again.  
   

Before Jongin could even reach for his phone, let alone text his roommate anything, the door banged open.  
   

“Kyungsoo?” Jongdae loudly inquired. “Jongin?”  
   

Kyungsoo and Jongin ripped apart just as the other boys found them.  
   

“That was awesome!” Jongdae yelled, laughing.  
   

“You were like- BOOM! And then it was like- WAH!” Jungkook exclaimed, making punching and running actions as he did so. “It was like, some superhero shit!” He turned and pretended to slow-motion punch Jimin, who (also in slow-motion) pretended to fly back into Hoseok.  
   

“Who was he, anyways?” Jongdae asked, his arms folded across his chest.   
   

“No one.” Jongin said quickly before Kyungsoo could fill in. “Did Sehun go back to your dorm?”  
   

The question was directed at Kyungsoo, but Jongdae answered anyways. “Sehun said he was going back to Junmyeon’s with him for the weekend.”  
   

“Good.” Jongin muttered, grabbing Kyungsoo’s hand again and pulling him out of the dorm. “Don’t come looking for us!”   
   

Jongin and Kyungsoo took off again, down the hall and towards Kyungsoo’s dorm building, leaving Jongdae with three slow-motion superheroes.  
   

“What’s gotten into you tonight?” Kyungsoo asked.  
   

“I could say the same for you.”   
   

The minute Kyungsoo and Jongin stepped foot in Kyungsoo’s dorm, their lips met one another’s, hands over each other as if some incredible, natural magnetic force had brought them together.  
  
~•~   


_-Day 81; August 18th, 2017-_

The next week, Kim Jongin brought with him a backpack full of papers to the bonfire.   
   

Do Kyungsoo helped him toss each one into the fire, watching as the paper browned and burned and crumbled and folded in upon itself.  
   

He watched his boyfriend watch, his jaw set and the flames dance in his pretty eyes.


	71. [COFFEE] X / Screams All Sound The Same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language

_ -Day 162; November 7th, 2017- _

Like the embers of a fire die, summer died into autumn. Autumn froze into winter, causing sunburns to turn into scarves that tickled noses and tracked sand turn to snow melting on the floor.

 

After the fiasco which was a Halloween party, which involved Jeon Jungkook getting sent to the hospital to get his stomach pumped and matching  _ Marvel  _ costumes, they sat calmly in Byun Baekhyun and Kim Jongdae’s dorm.

 

There was a small video game competition between Zhang Yixing, Kim Jongin, and Jungkook, Jung Hoseok helping Park Jimin with his homework, Byun Baekhyun leafing through a textbook as he leaned against Yixing. Oh Sehun was sketching furiously in a notebook. Huang Zitao was raiding the cupboards, and Do Kyungsoo tapped around on his laptop. Min Yoongi sat on the floor with Kim Jongdae, in the midst of a card game when Jongdae’s phone rang.

 

“Oh, it’s Minnie!” he exclaimed, checking it. “I’ll be back.” he stood up, answering the phone as he left the dorm, going out into the hall to talk in private.

 

“Suffer!” Yixing yelled as he killed Jungkook in their game, who screeched in frustration.

 

Before anyone could yell anything else, before the door really had time to settle back in on its hinges, it flew open again, a new body flying into the room.   


“Sehun?” Kim Junmyeon demanded angrily. Heads turned to him, and Jongin unintentionally reached out, grasping Kyungsoo’s hand.   


Jongin hadn’t known Junmyeon for long, but he now knew three things about him. He knew Junmyeon wasn’t like how he usually was; Myeon was usually more cheerful and self-sufficient. He also knew a few details about his life: he had a relationship with some guy named Kris Wu, he graduated the same school last year, and he now worked as a therapist. And now, he knew Junmyeon was easily the scariest when angry.   


“Myeon? What’s up?” Sehun said casually, looking up.   


“This is all your fault! If you hadn’t  _ snitched _ like the fucking brat you are I wouldn’t be in this mess!” Junmyeon cried, and Tao and Yoongi stepped forward, pushing him back and holding him away from Sehun. They shushed him, trying to get him to calm down.    


“Junmyeon!” Tao shouted, trying to be heard overtop his own shouts. “Shut the fuck up!” Tao brought his hand across Junmyeon’s face, and Junmyeon finally quieted before bringing his own hand across Tao’s face.   


“What the fuck was that?” Junmyeon asked, switching his focus from Sehun to Tao.    


“Speak for yourself, you fucking-”   


“Both of you, shut the hell up!” Sehun cried, stepping in. “Junmyeon, care to explain? Why are you mad at me?” He waved his arms about as he spoke.    


“You told.” Junmyeon spat. “You told, and now look where you’ve got me! You’re ruining everything!”   


“Junmyeon.” Kyungsoo warned. Junmyeon whipped around to face him, and they both exchanged looks. “What happened?”   


“It’s all his fault!” Junmyeon pointed aggressively at Sehun.   


“We get that!” Kyungsoo said, exasperated. “But  _ what _ is his fault?”   


“I don’t know what he did-”   


“Get on with it!” Jimin yelled, his phone held up in front of his face.   


“Deck him!” Jungkook encouraged, thrusting his fist into the air while looking over Jimin’s shoulder and onto his phone screen.   


Junmyeon sighed, running a hand through his hair and shifting his weight around before speaking. “My parents think I’ve ‘lost my footing’. They had a list of things wrong with me beforehand, and this was just another for them. They’ve decided I’ve spent too long ‘figuring myself out’ and that I ‘need to get on with it’. They’ve decided they’re going to arrange a marriage for me.” he spoke solemnly and carefully, adding air quotes and the occasional eye roll.    


There was a stunned silence when he finished, no one knowing what to say and everyone taking a minute to process what he had said.   


“Junmyeon, I’m so sorry.” Baekhyun uttered after a moment, not looking at him and instead keeping his gaze down.    


Jongin barely heard it, but he swore he heard Yixing whisper “I don’t think it’s you he’s looking for an apology from.” in Baekhyun’s ear, his arm around him.   


“Junmyeon, I-” Sehun cut himself off, sighing before he started again. “Why don’t we go take a walk outside? We can talk out there.”    


“Sure.” Junmyeon agreed, and Sehun grabbed his shirt sleeve and practically pulled him outside. 

 

There was an awkward air about, the lingering presence of the events that had occurred. 

 

It stayed, even after Sehun had returned and after Yoongi and Jongdae had finished their card game, Jongdae oblivious to the tense atmosphere caused by Sehun and Junmyeon, but bringing in his own nonetheless.

 

Even after Kyungsoo and Jongin went back to Kyungsoo’s dorm, settling in on Kyungsoo’s bed together, it stayed. They didn’t talk about what happened, Jongdae’s problems or Junmyeon’s marriage or why Jungkook was so desperate for a fight.    


It wasn’t even dinner when Kyungsoo fell asleep, his head lolling onto Jongin’s chest. Even before the older fell asleep, through their movie and their conversations and their kisses, that presence followed them and stayed.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N  
> Hey loves! This will unfortunately be my last update for awhile as I'm going to Europe over the March Break! I'll be writing a little while I'm there, and if you're desperate for updates you can always check the actual book "Coffee // KaiSoo [UAU IV; A UAU Companion Novel]"!!!


	72. [COFFEE] XI / Blame It On The Alcohol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Alcohol consumption; implied sexual references; strong language; drug mentions

_ -Day 207; December 22nd, 2017- _

“What do you mean ‘you don’t know’ if you like Jongin or not?” Do Kyungsoo demanded, flinging the spatula down onto the counter.   


Park Chanyeol, who sat across from him on the other side of the counter, flinched. “I-I just haven’t met the guy is all.” he muttered.   


Kyungsoo picked up the spatula again, pointing it aggressively at Chanyeol. “Everyone loves Nini, and so will you.”    


“Then why did you ask?” Chanyeol asked, laughing.    


“Because you were supposed to say yes.”   
  
~•~   
  
“I’m pretty sure I just saw Jongin grab Chanyeol’s ass.” Oh Sehun said, coming to stand beside Do Kyungsoo. They both leaned against the counter.   


“Wouldn’t be the first ass he’s grabbed tonight.” Kyungsoo commented, smirking at Sehun from behind his plastic cup. As per usual, Huang Zitao had gone overboard with the alcohol, and Kyungsoo had no idea what he, his friends, or anyone at this damn Christmas party was drinking.    


Sehun slapped Kyungsoo in the arm, snickering. This caused Kyungsoo’s drink to slosh over the edges and onto his sweater.    


Kyungsoo wore a loud, ugly, green sweater. It was too hot to be wearing it, but Kim Jongin had bought it for him (and a matching red one for himself). The only reason Kyungsoo was actually being seen wearing it was because Jongin had spent the past week begging him to wear it, making every claim under the sun unto  _ why _ he just  _ had _ to wear this sweater. Despite Kyungsoo’s protests against it and insults at it, Kyungsoo had grown fond of it - Jongin had given it to him, after all.   


Kyungsoo looked down at the stain starting to blossom on the sweater and frowned. “Watch it.” he hissed, glaring up at Sehun who hit him in the arm again.   


“With a sweater like that, it _ needs _ a stain.” Sehun looked away from him, bringing a cup of his own up to his lips.    


Kyungsoo was surprised to see Sehun drinking - it was quite uncharacteristic of him, and everyone knew that, regardless of what Jongin had told Kyungsoo about Sehun.

“Are you seriously drinking?” Kyungsoo questioned, shooting Sehun a look.   


Sehun shook his head. “Nope. Just _ Pepsi _ Tao bought me.” he lowered his drink, allowing Kyungsoo to glance into it and see the dark, fizzy liquid that filled about half the cup.   


“Ew.” Kyungsoo grimaced, making a face. “ _ Pepsi _ is disgusting.”   


“Your face is disgusting, yet you don’t hear  _ me _ saying anything about it.”    


“That was awful. What are you, like, five?” Kyungsoo sighed, rolling his eyes at his friend’s immaturity.   


“Yeah, five inches deep into your boyfriend, which is more than you can say.”    


“Shut up!” Kyungsoo cried, taking his turn to slap his friend in the arm.    


“That’s what I told Jongin after I fucked hi-”   


“Seriously, shut it before I throw my drink on you.” Kyungsoo threatened, making a motion as if he was to slosh his drink on him.   


“‘ _ Seriously _ ’,” Sehun mocked, making a face. “your boyfriend is feeling up your ex-roommate.”    


Kyungsoo glanced over to where Jongin and Chanyeol were dancing. Sehun was right - both their hands were dangerously low on one another, their bodies pressed close together.   


It was enough to make Kyungsoo question if he should feel unnerved or even jealous by their interaction, but Kyungsoo had enough faith in them that he knew it wasn’t anything more than two bros being bros.   


“They’re getting along.” Kyungsoo grumbled into his cup, taking another swig.   


“They’re getting  _ it on _ .” Sehun corrected. “They’re starting to look like Baekhyun and Yixing. Side note-” Sehun stuck a finger up into the air. “I keep forgetting Baekhyun isn’t dating Chanyeol anymore.”   


“Are you kidding me?” Kyungsoo remarked, glaring at him. “Look at them.” he gestured to Byun Baekhyun and Zhang Yixing, who weren’t too far from Jongin and Chanyeol with his cup. “Baekhyun’s practically got both his hands down Yixing’s pants. It’s kinda hard to  _ forget _ .”   


“That’s why I remember. They’re always all over each other.”   


“Anyways,” Kyungsoo sighed. “where’d Junmyeon run off to?”   


“Fiancé duty.” Sehun groaned. “He’s got a dinner with Juhyun and her family tomorrow night. It’ll be the first time he meets them.”    


“No wonder he left. The stress of that is enough to take him down alone.”   


Sehun didn’t say anything in reply.   


“I mean, arranged marriages aren’t really the most fun thing in general.” Kyungsoo continued, trying not to slip over his tongue. He all of a sudden felt a little anxious - maybe it was the way Sehun was staring blankly into his  _ Pepsi _ , or the way Jongin’s hand laid on Chanyeol’s hip, or maybe he just needed to blame it on the alcohol.   


“But I guess in a way Junmyeon got sort of lucky? He knows Seohyun already and she’s nice. He could be stuck with someone horrible and repulsive.” Kyungsoo finished, unsure if Sehun would say anything back (if he was listening at all).   


After a moment of silence, Sehun heaved a sigh and pushed himself off and away from the counter. “To tell you the truth, Soo, it's a lot more than just a marriage.”   


“What do you mean?”   


“Not my place to tell.”   


“Is it about Kris?”   


“Like I said, it’s not my place to tell. But I will tell you this-” Sehun shifted his weight and pointed a finger at Kyungsoo. “Myeon see marriage as… _ a privilege _ , per se, rather than something you have to do. And that’s kinda what an arranged marriage means - something you have to do. All in all, it really goes against almost everything for him.”   


“Do you think he would’ve married Kris?” Kyungsoo wondered into his cup, not looking at Sehun. That anxious feeling grew, spreading from his stomach to his chest and engulfing his lungs, causing his breathing to come slightly laboured, as if he had just taken several flights of stairs.    


He still blamed it on the alcohol. That’s all it was - an anxious, drunken feeling. That’s all anything he was feeling right now was - drunken feelings.   


“I think maybe one day he would’ve.” Sehun replied. “I know it’s sort of hard to believe, but they were only together for like, what? A month or two? You and Jongin have been together longer than that, haven’t you?”   


“Five months and five days.” Kyungsoo said quickly. “Not that I’m counting.”    


Sehun sniggered before continuing. “That’s longer than Kris and Myeon. If Jongin asked you, right now, would you marry him?”   


In retrospect, it was a simple question. And Kyungsoo’s answer wouldn’t have mattered - it’s not like it was the real deal or a ‘make or break’ in terms of his relationship.   


But it hit him hard, as if Sehun had just kicked him in the stomach and knocked all the air out of him. If Kyungsoo wasn’t leaning against the counter, he surely would’ve taken a step back.    


“I-I-I...” Kyungsoo stuttered for a moment, reiterating the sound over and over again, trying to form something comprehensible. “I don’t know.” he said softly after a moment. He looked anxiously into his cup, still not being able to look at Sehun.    


“See?” Sehun said, gesturing to him. Either he didn’t notice the small malfunction episode Kyungsoo just had, or he opted to ignore it. “You and Nini get along better than Myeon and Kris ever did. And if you don’t know whether you’d marry someone you’ve been in a relationship with for almost half a year, I can’t imagine how Junmyeon feels, actually having to marry someone he’s known for less and hasn’t been in a relationship with.”    


“I-I have to go.” Kyungsoo muttered. He didn’t know exactly why, or where he was going, but something inside of him was screaming at him to leave. He knew he had to get out of there, and quick.   


He pushed his drink into Sehun’s arms, but before he could get more than a few steps away he ran into something larger than him, warm and familiar.   


He looked up, and the wind was knocked out of him again, yet for a whole other reason.    


“Nini.” Kyungsoo uttered lamely. He didn’t know whether he wanted to wrap Jongin’s arms around himself and tell him to hide him or take him home, grab his hand and run, or take off without him.   


He didn’t do any of those things, as Jongin shot him a questioning look and took his arm away from around Chanyeol’s shoulders, placing the back of his hand to his forehead. Jongin gripped his arm with his other hand, keeping him close yet preventing him from running away like he wanted to do before.   


“Soo?” Jongin asked, and Kyungsoo shook his head abruptly, trying to bring his focus back to what was happening in front of him. “Are you feeling alright?” he said it as if he had repeated it a million times and Kyungsoo refused to answer him.   


Kyungsoo barely registered it, but Jongin looked up and over at Sehun, giving the younger that same questioning glare that would make even a priest confess his worst sins.    


Sehun shrugged and said something about having no clue.   


The next thing Kyungsoo did register was his cheek meeting Jongin’s chest, and he carefully placed his hand to rest beside it. His hand shook a little and laid gently, as if Kyungsoo was touching something very fragile and expensive; a relic of some sort.   


“No, he’s… _ sluttier _ when drunk.” Chanyeol was saying, and Kyungsoo’s eyes flitted up to meet his friend’s worried looks.   


“I-I’m fine.” Kyungsoo stammered, pushing away from Jongin. “I’m just…tired.” He reached over, trying to take his cup back from Sehun.   


“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Chanyeol said, reaching out and trying to take the cup as well.   


With all three pulling on the plastic cup at once, it split down the middle, the alcohol pouring out onto the floor.   


“Gays!” Sehun hissed angrily. “This isn’t my dorm and you know that!”   


“Did you just call me gay?” Chanyeol asked.   


“There is at least  _ one _ person in this room who can vouch for that.” Sehun said. “Now, go get something to clean this up with before I drag him into this.”   


“You can’t make me do anything!” Baekhyun yelled. Kyungsoo didn’t even realize Baekhyun and Yixing had come over, Park Jimin, Jeon Jungkook, and Jung Hoseok not far behind.    


Chanyeol sighed and trudged off while Jongin took Kyungsoo’s hand.    


“I think it’s time for you to go home. Come on.” Kyungsoo looked up and allowed Jongin to lead him out of the dorm. He had forgotten Jongin was there.   


“You have really pretty eyes.” Kyungsoo whispered when they stepped out into the hall.   


Jongin laughed, slipping his arm around Kyungsoo’s waist. “How much did you have to drink?”   


“Half a cup. Not even.”   


“You sure?”   


“Positive.” A beat of silence. “I’m not drunk.”   


“That’s what a drunk person would say.”    


“I’m not drunk.” Kyungsoo pushed. “I’m not telling you you look like my boyfriend, am I?” That made Jongin laugh.   


A while ago they had went out drinking for someone’s birthday - maybe Kim Jongdae’s, Kyungsoo couldn’t remember. But nevertheless, Kyungsoo had managed to get piss drunk, and apparently spent half the night hitting on Jongin and trying to take him back home with him.    


“No, but you did tell me I have pretty eyes.” Jongin pointed out.   


“I can’t tell my pretty boyfriend he has pretty eyes?” Kyungsoo reached up, slinging both arms around Jongin’s neck.   


“It’s just… _ unusual _ of you.” Jongin picked his words carefully, stopping in the hallway and flashing Kyungsoo a smile that made his heart flip and his stomach skip a beat no matter how many times he saw it.   


“I’ll say it more often than.” Kyungsoo dropped his voice to something above a whisper, and then pulled Jongin down closer to him, kissing him messily on the lips.   


“You’re drunk.” Jongin murmured against his lips, momentarily breaking the kiss.   


“No I’m not.” Kyungsoo argued in between sloppy, fleeting kisses.   


“I can taste the alcohol on you.”   


Another kiss.   


“That’s just the stuff you drank.”   


Another kiss.   


“I didn’t have anything to drink.”   


Yet another kiss.   


“That’s a lie- I saw you.”   


The kisses became even sloppier.   


“You got me. Wanna go back to the dorm?”   


Kyungsoo hummed in agreement against Jongin’s lips, and as Jongin tried to move towards the dorms, Kyungsoo still trailed his lips on Jongin’s. He let himself slip his hand up Jongin’s shirt, laying his hand flat against his chest.   


“Soo.” Jongin murmured, half-pulling half-dragging him a few steps down the hall. “Wait until we’re at the dorms at least.”   


Kyungsoo protested by kissing him again, hooking his thumb under the waistband of his jeans.    


“Don’t make me carry you.” Jongin warned, kissing him nonetheless. Kyungsoo did nothing but move his hands further, and Jongin’s arms soon wrapped tighter around him and his feet soon lifted off the ground. “You’re drunk.” he muttered again.   


“Okay, maybe a little bit.” Kyungsoo admitted, laying his hand over Jongin’s face.    


“Stop that. I can’t see.” Jongin spat, and then yelped. “That’s my eye! Careful…get your fingers out of my mouth. You’re  _ so _ lucky it’s just us right now, or this would  _ definitely _ be being filmed right now.”    
  
~•~   
  


“Jongin.” Kyungsoo whispered a little while later. He turned over in the bed, leaning heavily onto his boyfriend’s chest.   


“You’re supposed to be sleeping.” Jongin murmured, his eyes still closed.   


“I need you to listen to me.” Kyungsoo continued to whisper as he laid a hand on Jongin’s face again.   


“Cut that out.” Jongin swatted his hand away lazily. “Go to sleep.”   


Kyungsoo shifted around some more so he laid nestled up against Jongin. “Sehun and I were talking about Junmyeon’s marriage.” Kyungsoo reached over, taking Jongin’s hand in his.   


“Good for you.” Jongin muttered, resting his other hand on Kyungsoo’s waist. “Being all social with your roommate.”   


Kyungsoo ignored the sarcasm and continued talking. “He made a point. Would you marry me, Nini?”    


“Wh-what?” Jongin stuttered, and Kyungsoo could sense the panic as he moved his mouth closer to Jongin’s ear.   


“I have a secret for you. I’d marry the  _ shit _ out of you, Jongin.”   


“You’re drunk.” Jongin argued, pushing Kyungsoo away and fighting away a blush. “Go to sleep.”   


Kyungsoo didn’t know it, but Jongin’s heartbeat quickened even as Kyungsoo settled back in, sleep finding him quickly.    


Jongin laid awake that night, the drunken question Kyungsoo asked him being the only thing he was able to think of.   


“I’d marry the shit out of you, too.” Jongin whispered a few hours later to a sleeping Kyungsoo, running his hand down his arm.   
  
~•~   


_ /zhxngyixingicorn🦄 added not minseok✨, jonginini, kim junmyeon., bunbunjooeun, and oohsehunnie to the chat/ _   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : can I get some advice please? It’s important ^^

**not minseok✨** : if it’s about how to roll ‘the perfect joint’ again then no   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : no this is serious this time I swear    
_ /not minseok✨ named the chat ‘seriouz biznizz’/ _ _   
_ **kim junmyeon.** : your lack of literacy scares me

**not minseok✨** : minseok says it’s a real focal point of mine   
**bunbunjooeun** : i don’t think he means that in a good way daedae   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : last night baekhyun was drunk obviously I mean he gets around alcohol and he’s drunk and he’s been drunk before dealing with a drunk baekkie isn’t anything new but what is new is what he was saying drunk he kept calling me chanyeol saying things he usually would but instead of yixing (me) he kept calling me chanyeol (not me) like “I love you chanyeol” “im so sorry chanyeol” stuff like that i think I might be overthinking it but it’s bugging me he keeps calling me his ex of course that would bother me that’s rational right I’m not over obsessive or clingy right??????

**kim junmyeon.** : oh god okay   
**jonginini** : people say crazy things when drunk   
**not minseok✨** : ARE YOU KIDDING ME???   
**not minseok✨** : BAEKKIE FCKN LOVES YOU   
**not minseok✨** : you should hear the stuff he tells me drunk AND sober   
**not minseok✨** : hes always like “Yixing did this for me today” “Yixing told me this today” “listen Yixing told me this really funny joke today” side note buddy your jokes aren’t funny but they send Baekhyun into hysterics I don’t even laugh and minseok has really bad jokes like that but minseoks aren’t THAT bad I know five year olds that tell better jokes   
**bunbunjooeun** : okay but what was the joke   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : he really liked “what’s green and has wheels? grass, I lied about the wheels”   
**not minseok✨** : at BEST that deserves a little snicker or a fake laugh not hysterics he was actually on the ground trying to get the joke out   
**bunbunjooeun** : i was expecting something much better   
**kim junmyeon.** : thats worse than the cantaloupe joke   
**jonginini** : what’s the cantaloupe joke   
**not minseok✨** : oh god I don’t wanna know do I   
**kim junmyeon.** : one melon proposes to the other melon. the second melon says ‘we’re too young…we cantaloupe!’   
**not minseok✨** : the next person to tell a bad joke gets blocked   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : does ‘papaya’ count as a bad joke

**bunbunjooeun** : no because that’s funny for no reason 

**not minseok✨** : okay but seriously Yixing I don’t think it’s anything you have to worry about the other day I caught him flipping through one of my textbooks and I asked him why and he said he was trying to find a god that looked like you because he’s convinced you are one   
**not minseok✨** : I think he was sorta high but it’s the thought that counts   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : he really said that???

**not minseok✨** : if I made up something as cheesy as that I definitely wouldn’t use it to hype up baekkie   
**jonginini** : on the topic of boyfriends

**kim junmyeon.** : oh god   
**not minseok✨** : don’t worry I’ve got this dr dae is in the house   
**bunbunjooeun** : dr dre   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : will you hook me up with some headphones 

**kim junmyeon.** : please stop   
**jonginini** : despite his protests kyungsoo was definitely kinda drunk last night too and last night he said he was talking about Junmyeon’s marriage (sorry Myeon) with Sehun and then he told me and I quote he’d “marry the shit” out of me   
**bunbunjooeun** : KYUNGSOO AND JONGIN ARE GETTING MARRIED   
**kim junmyeon.** : oh congratulations

**bunbunjooeun** : SEHUN OWES ME MONEY   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : where is Sehun I added him to this chat

**not minseok✨** : wait why does Sehun owe you money now   
**bunbunjooeun** : we made a bet on who would get married first

**bunbunjooeun** : I placed my bets of Jongin and Kyungsoo and he placed his on minseok and Jongdae so therefore I win and he owes me money   
**jonginini** : WERE NOT GETTING MARRIED   
**kim junmyeon.** : you should   
**jonginini** : aren’t you gonna talk me out of it?

**kim junmyeon.** : no


	73. [COFFEE] XII / Look Forward to the New You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; mentions of suicide

_ -Day 338; May 2nd, 2018- _

The rest of the school year passed quite calmly.    


Park Chanyeol returned to Canada, finishing out the rest of his school year abroad.   


“I’m doing a lot better than I thought I would.” he told Do Kyungsoo, Kim Jongin, and Oh Sehun once, setting down his coffee mug. “My roommate is Korean, although he doesn’t speak any. And whatever he can say, his pronunciation is so awful I can’t understand what he’s saying. I’ve met other friends, though. Ashley Choi, for starters. I’m very close with her. I think she’ll come visit here for a little bit after graduation.”    


He went on to describe a few more of his friends, but it was quite evident he thought very highly of Ashley.   


“How’s your English going?” Sehun asked, switching over, and thus losing both Jongin and Kyungsoo in the conversation.   


“My English is also a lot better than I thought it was.” Chanyeol laughed. “It’s a lot better than it was when I left. My friends and school have helped a lot with my English. When I came back to Korea, it was strange speaking Korean again because I was so used to English.”   


“I apparently speak very good English. I’m not a hundred percent sure how or why.”    


“Your English has an accent.” Chanyeol commented, and Sehun nodded.   


“Australian.”    


“I do not speak English.” Kyungsoo broke in, his English broken.   


Byun Baekhyun, Kim Jongdae, and Kim Jongin had fallen into the habit of coffee on Wednesdays, chatting at the on-campus café and even bringing their drinks back to a dorm somedays.   


“Minseok returns home in a few weeks.” Jongdae chirped happily one day. “He went on some thing this weekend, I don’t know what he called it, some Russian shit, but he sent me pictures. Want to see?” He dug around in his back pocket, and had the photos up on his phone before either of the other two boys could protest.   


“Yixing sent me photos last year when he want on that cruise.” Baekhyun chimed in, gesturing to Jongdae’s phone.   


“The only photos Kyungsoo really shows me are like, really old memes and some family photos.”   


“Ew.” Baekhyun spat after a moment, regarding Jongin as if  _ he _ was the gross one.   


“That’s so sad.” Jongdae pitied. “Alexa, play  _ Melted _ by  _ Akdong Musician _ .”   


“It’s kinda cute, really.” Jongin started, defending his boyfriend. “It’s cute seeing him laugh and I’ve forgotten how funny some of those actually are.”   


“Let dead memes stay dead.” Baekhyun reached out and laid a hand on Jongin’s shoulder, frowning.   


“That’s so sad. Alexa, play  _ Dead! _ by  _ My Chemical Romance _ .” Jongdae repeated.   


“Will you cut it with that?” Baekhyun snapped, exasperated. “You will single handedly kill that meme. And it’s a good meme - let it be.”    


“That’s so sad, Alexa play-”   


“ _ Shoot Me _ by  _ Buster Moe _ .” Jongin rolled his eyes, stirring the straw around in his drink as Baekhyun jumped up, gesturing towards him.   


“See!  _ That’s _ how you use it. Good job, Nini.”   


“Thank you.”    


The next week, while Jongin was leaving the dorm to meet Baekhyun and Jongdae, he was attacked by Sehun and his measuring tape.   


“I’m going to be late!” Jongin cried, his arms over his head while Sehun wrapped the measuring tape tightly around his chest.    


“I’m not taking long.” Sehun muttered, feverishly illegibly scribbling down his measurements.   


“I have to get Soo from class. I said I’d meet him.”   


“I’m almost done. Five seconds.” Sehun moved the tape between Jongin’s legs, meeting the ends at his shoulder.   


“Careful!” Jongin yelled, swatting at him.   


Sehun released the tape measure and turned back to his notepad. “Do you know how to tuck?”   


“What?”   


“Tuck. Like a drag queen. Like-” Sehun paused, jabbing at Jongin.   


Jongin swatted at Sehun again, smacking his hand away. “Don’t touch me. And I have no clue what you mean.”   


Sehun sighed, standing up. “Tuck. Like a drag queen? Like, tuck your dick. You don’t have good tucking panties, then?” Sehun wrapped the tape measure around Jongin’s forehead as he spoke. “You have a big head.”   


“Fuck off.” Jongin scoffed, swatting his friend away for a third time. “And no, no I do not. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Jongin ran out of the dorm, not giving Sehun a chance to measure another part of him.   


As he took the steps of the building two at a time, Jongin risked a glance at his phone.    


Kyungsoo’s class ended at two, and Jongin usually met Kyungsoo after his class to walk him back to his dorm. Sometimes Jongin stayed with him, sometimes he left, sometimes they went somewhere else besides the dorms. They sometimes went for lunch, as Kyungsoo was in class during lunchtime, and his teacher had a strict no food rule.   


It was a twenty minute walk from the dorms to Kyungsoo’s class building, seeing as it was across campus.    


Walking each other to and from class was something both Jongin and Kyungsoo usually did, and although small, it was important - it was some of the only time the two had alone together.   


It was 1:49 now, and as Jongin dashed across campus, taking a shorter way than what he usually walked with Kyungsoo, he knew it was going to be past two by then time he showed up at Kyungsoo’s class.   


 

_ /Kyungsoo/ _   
“Kyungsoo? What are you doing still here?” Do Kyungsoo turned around to see Park Jihyo exiting the classroom.   


Kyungsoo leaned against the wall beside the classroom, holding his books in one hand and his phone in the other, refreshing constantly, hoping for a message from Kim Jongin.   


Kyungsoo wasn’t incredibly close with Jihyo, but he had sat beside the her the entire school year. He deemed them on pretty good terms at the least.   


“I’m waiting for Jongin.” Kyungsoo told her, frowning. “Do you think he stood me up?”   


Matching his frown, she shifted her weight to one leg. “I don’t think so. Did you argue with or anything recently?”   


“Not that I know of.”    


“You haven’t heard from him?”   


“No.”    


“Maybe he forgot.”   


“Maybe he doesn’t like me anymore and this is his way of easing our way into a breakup. We did get together pretty quick after his last relationship - his last boyfriend cheated on him - oh gosh, do you think he’s cheating on me?” Panicked, Kyungsoo glanced up from his phone, readjusting his books in his arms.    


Jihyo suppressed a smile, holding a hand to her face. “I think he’s just gotten distracted and you’re overthinking.”   


“I think he hates me.”    


“If he hates you so much, why don’t we walk back together then?”   


Before Kyungsoo could answer her, or even push himself off of the wall, a familiar voice rung through the halls.   


“Kyungsoo!” Jongin cried, running down the hall. He skidded to a stop a few feet away from Kyungsoo and Jihyo, his hands on his knees as he doubled over, trying to catch his breath. “I was…worried you…left without me.” he panted, his chest and shoulders heaving.   


“I was still waiting.” Kyungsoo told him quietly, a small smile appearing on his face.   


“I gotta sit down.” Jongin collapsed to the floor, tilting his head back as he leaned against the walls. “Give me a second.”   


“You’re good?” Jihyo asked, and Kyungsoo nodded. “We’re still partners for that project?”    


Again, Kyungsoo nodded as Jihyo walked the opposite way down the hall. “Text me and you can come over sometime to start on that.” With Jihyo gone, Kyungsoo lowered himself down beside Jongin. “I’ll sit with you.”   


“I just ran all the way across campus in like, ten minutes. I deserve an award or something.” Although sweaty and panty, Jongin leaned his head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, grinning up at him.   


“You get a ‘Mediocre Boyfriend’ award.” Kyungsoo told him, pressing his lips to his sweat-soaked forehead.   


“‘Mediocre’? I deserve ‘Great’ at least.”   


“A ‘Great’ boyfriend can do it at least six.”    


Jongin laughed, turning and kissing Kyungsoo’s jaw. “Sorry I’m late, though. I didn’t mean to be.”   


“Why were you late?” Kyungsoo frowned. “Why didn’t you text? Or call? I thought you hated me.”   


Jongin’s eyes grew wide in daunting realization, and he started patting around his pockets. “I think I forgot my phone at someone’s dorm.” he laughed.   


“Disappointed, but not surprised. We can look around when we get back.”    


“I promised Jongdae and Baekhyun I’d meet them at the campus café for coffee.”    


“It’s Wednesday, isn’t it?” Kyungsoo hummed. “I can look around for you.”    


“Jongdae might have it. I probably forgot it on top of his car again.”    


Kyungsoo laughed, and then quickly sobered. “Okay, but why were you late?”   


Kyungsoo didn’t know what answer we was looking for or expecting. Was he expecting him to confess to cheating? Murder? Forgetting? Nini could be quite forgetful, hence the phone situation.   


“Oh, Sehun attacked me with a tape measure.” Jongin laughed and elaborated when Kyungsoo shot him a confusing glare. “Not literally. He kept measuring me and asked if I knew how to tuck.”   


“Oh, like drag. Baekhyun knows how to do that. I learned that the hard way.” Kyungsoo was okay with this answer, whether it was true or false.   


“You look like you’ve seen some things.”   


“More than I care to share. Are you feeling okay now? Or want another minute?”   


“No, I’m fine.” Jongin pushed himself up, and then held out a hand to help Kyungsoo. “Do you want me to take your books?”   


“You can take this textbook.” Kyungsoo said, handing it off to him. “I never want to look at it again.”   


“Me with a tape measure.”    
  


_ /Jongin/ _   
“I’m surprised he’s only measuring you now.” Jongdae remarked, relaxing into the chair. He had both his hands wrapped around a tall paper cup of coffee, with a matching white plastic lid he had ripped off. “He did me at least three weeks ago.”   


Baekhyun nodded in agreement. He had a clear plastic cup, a straw shoved in a plastic dome of a lid, swirling the strawberries and other sugary ingredients around. “He did me around the same time, too. I’m a little offended he’s asking you to tuck, though. I was totally looking forward to that again.”   


“Why is he measuring us?” Jongin asked, confused. Jongin’s own drink was a paper cup like Jongdae’s, and he, too, had ripped the lid off, dumping in another sugar packet.    


He was confused onto why everyone thought it so normal for Sehun to go around measuring everyone. He hadn’t been at school with everyone long, but he did know random measurements weren’t a common occurrence. Is this what he got with having a fashion major as a friend? Someone who randomly kept tabs on all their measurements?   


“It’s for his project.” Baekhyun chided as if it were so obvious. “What are you guys doing for your projects?”   


Jongdae lit up, shifting around in the chair and leaning onto the table. “We studied a lot of mythology this year, so Cho Jayoung and I are doing what would happen if every sun god met up. We’re calling it the Sun Conference, and of course Apollo’s a little shit. It’s even funnier because there’s two Apollos, right? A Greek and a Roman? And they’re both so pissed off at each other. We find it quite funny.”   


“Sounds better than what I’m doing.” Baekhyun spat, rolling his eyes. “I’m stuck doing mocks again. It’s times like these I hate being a med student.”   


“At least you get mocks. Do you know what it’s like being a  _ European _ Classical Studies major  _ in Asia _ ? Not that fun, dude. It’s like trying to find authentic maple syrup in Mexico. Or so I’ve heard.”    


While both boys complained about their courses, Jongin sat and listened quietly, trying his best to follow along and get a sense for the topic. However, he found himself more lost than before.   


“I’m still so confused.” Jongin interjected. “What are these projects?”   


Both Baekhyun and Jongdae paled. “You haven’t started yet?” Baekhyun asked.   


“They’re due, like, next week.”   


“My teacher hasn’t said anything about projects.” Jongin whispered, suddenly feeling a little intimidated by the older yet shorter boys.   


“They’re worth almost 20% of your grade.” Jongdae gaped.   


“At the end of each year you do some really big project that basically sums up everything you’ve done and learned.” Baekhyun explained. “I do mock births, Sehun does fashion shows with the Beautician majors; I know Hoseok is doing a one-man play.”   


“Jimin and Jungkook are writing and performing pieces.” Jongdae added, and then sighed heavily. “Remember when Luhan did that documentary? That was super cool. I wish we knew another film major so we could do that again.”   


“And Junmyeon’s mock sessions? That was funny to watch.”    


“I’m helping Jooeun with her mock. She’s got a murder crime scene. I get to be the murderer.”   


“And everyone does these?” Jongin cut in again, trying to conceal any panic and worry in his voice. These projects sounded  _ huge _ , especially considering they were worth so many marks. Had his teacher mentioned it and he hadn’t been listening? Was he so many weeks behind he was now setting himself up for failure? He should’ve went to Taiwan - he knew what he was doing there.   


Both Baekhyun and Jongdae nodded. “Like I said, they’re big projects.” Jongdae told him. “Usually, students pick a theme or something at random and have free range to do whatever they want with it, as long as it meets any other given requirements by the teacher.”   


“Which usually means covering what you learned that year.” Baekhyun continued. “However, sometimes teachers have set projects, like Sehun having to design, create, and have a show for all his pieces. He has to create an entire collection.”   


“I swear to God, if he calls it ‘ _ Eau d’Oh _ ’ again I’m going to kill myself.”   


“I quite liked that name. It was catchy. The pieces were nice, too. The jacket was comfy.”   


“I swear to God, if he sticks me in his futuristic piece I’m going to kill myself.”   


“I quite liked that piece. I made mine look really nice.”    


“I don’t think my teacher’s mentioned anything.” Jongin frowned, pulling both boys’ attention back to him and the topic at hand.   


“You’re an Ecology major, right?” Jongdae asked, and Jongin nodded. “You’ll probably do mocks.”   


Baekhyun nodded. “You can’t really prepare much for a mock unless it’s scripted. Just make sure you know everything you’ve done this year. Go over notes or whatever.”   


“Ask someone in your class, though.” Jongdae finally brought his cup to his lips, deeming it warm enough. “Maybe you really are missing some huge project.”    


No one spoke for a moment, Baekhyun mindlessly stirring his brightly-coloured drink, Jongdae sipping his coffee, and Jongin staring into the abyss of his.   


“Okay, but this still doesn’t explain why Sehun has our measurements.” Jongin frowned.   


“Oh!” Baekhyun exclaimed, clapping his hands happily and jumping in his chair. “Basically, these projects are so huge that a lot of them require outside help. So, we get to model Sehun’s pieces each year. Specially tailored to us, the only ones like it in the world.”   


“Not all of them, though. Like, last year, Minseok had to do his on his own. We couldn’t help him with translating.” Jongdae said. “Instead of a theme, he picked a random book and a language. Poor guy stayed up for three days straight translating  _ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets _ into Shakespearean English. I’m pretty sure he heavily considered drinking bleach.”   


“I would’ve drank bleach.” Jongin sighed. “I hope we get to do something with the animals, though. Preferably the snakes. They’re so cute.”   


Jongdae hit Baekhyun in the arm. “What do you say?” he asked. “Nini complimented you. Tsk, you’re so rude. No manners.”   


Baekhyun gasped, flinging his straw at Jongdae. “That comment was directed towards you and you know it!”   


“I meant actual snakes, like the animals but your words, not mine.”


	74. [COFFEE] XIII / Sorry I'm Late, I Was Busy Whining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Medium language; implied sexual references

_ -Day 351; May 15th, 2018- _

The third week Kim Jongin met Byun Baekhyun and Kim Jongdae for coffee, he was late yet again.   


This time, not only did Jongin have his phone, but a reason for being late that the two wouldn’t like as much as they did last week’s reason (which was Sehun and his tape measure).   


Jongin reached out, his hand fumbling along Do Kyungsoo’s bedside table for his phone.    


Clicking it on, the time read 3:05 - five minutes after he was already supposed to be drinking coffee with his friends.   


“Shit.” he muttered, pushing himself up in the bed.   


“Hm?” Kyungsoo hummed, looking for an elaboration as he re-adjusted to his boyfriend’s new position, leaning his head on his shoulder again.   


“I gotta go.” Jongin told him, kissing his forehead. “I’m meeting Baekhyun and Jongdae again.”   


“I forgot about that.” Kyungsoo mumbled. “Don’t go. Stay with me.”    


“You know I’d love to, but in about ten minutes I’m bound to get some very angry texts and calls from them. We don’t want to piss Jongdae off more than you already have.”   


“It’s not my fault.” Kyungsoo’s voice was muffled into Jongin’s chest as he cuddled against him, an attempt to make him stay. “He asked me a question and I answered truthfully.”   


“You told him the project looked awful. You know he’s been working hard on that. He’s looking for validation, not a truthful opinion.”   


“Minseok’s going to take one look at that thing and go, ‘Thanks, I hate it’. I don’t even know what it is it’s so ugly.”   


“It’s  _ abstract _ . And no, that’s a thing only Minseok could love.”    


“You obviously haven’t met Minseok. Minseok is the most upfront person  _ ever _ with Jongdae. I once watched Jongdae walk into a room and Minseok told him to go change his shirt and that he didn’t want to be caught dead with someone who wore something as ugly as that before Sehun even had the chance to open his mouth. To be fair, it was a pretty ugly shirt.   


“And in his second year, Jongdae went through this phase where he wanted to grow his hair out and long, but Minseok hated the idea so much he’d break into his dorm every night and cut his hair while he slept. Jongdae ended up going to the doctor because he thought he was experiencing premature hair loss.   


“And one time they were arguing and Jongdae accidentally slapped him and Minseok told him he could walk home.”   


“Well, I’m sure Jongdae will have more Minseok stories waiting for me that I can tell you later.” Jongin swung his legs over the side of the bed, scooping up his clothes. “I really do gotta get going.”    


“Stay.” Kyungsoo whined. “I’m much more fun.”   


Jongin shot his boyfriend a side look. “Your idea of a good time is hiding behind the dividers and shooting whoever comes within range with the smoke cap gun.”    


“I’m pretty sure Junmyeon still thinks that dorm is haunted.” a smug smile played at Kyungsoo’s lips.   


As he threaded his belt through the buckle, a now fully dressed Jongin leaned over and pressed his lips to Kyungsoo’s forehead. “I’ll see you soon, babe.”    


Kyungsoo darted out and grabbed Jongin’s hand, giving him a pleading look. “Don’t go.”    


“You can come with if you want.”    


Kyungsoo lit up, and then clambered out of bed, following suit and tugging his own clothes on.    


Almost fifteen minutes past three, Jongin entered the coffee shoppe, Kyungsoo in tow behind him.   


“Sorry I’m late.” Jongin muttered, sliding into the booth across from Baekhyun. It was a wide, U-shaped booth, and Jongdae sat at the bend. “I was doing something.”   


Baekhyun had another brightly-coloured drink in front of him, this one almost fuchsia with a flat lid. Moving the straw away from his lips, Baekhyun raised an eyebrow at the two boys across from him.    


“Does ‘something’ happen to be Kyungsoo?” he asked.   


Kyungsoo flushed a shade similar to Baekhyun’s drink, leaning away to hide his face.   


“Perhaps.” Jongin commented, and Baekhyun laughed while Jongdae slid a tall, lidless, paper cup across to him.    


“I’ve been adding a sugar for every minute you’ve been late.” he told him, wrapping his hands around an identical cup of his own.   


“Thanks.” Jongin replied, reaching over for a few extra sugar packets anyways.   


“We got you a coffee because you were late, but we didn’t know Kyungsoo was coming so we didn’t get him anything. You can have a sip of my tea, if you want.” Baekhyun held his drink out towards him, and the younger shook his head.   


“I’m fine, but thanks. I don’t want anything.”    


Jongin dug out his wallet, removing a bill and handing it to Kyungsoo. “You want a cookie or something?”    


Kyungsoo smiled taking the bill from him. “I’ll get one big enough for us to split.”    


While Kyungsoo slid out of the booth, Jongin handed another bill out to Baekhyun and Jongdae to cover his coffee.   


“I didn’t pay.” Baekhyun said, holding his hand out in decline.   


Jongdae laid his hand on Jongin’s pushing it back towards him. “Don’t worry about it, dude.” Jongin thrust the bill at him again, and Jongdae shoved it back. “I’m serious, it was like, cheap.” Knowing he wasn’t going to win this argument, Jongin put it away, feigning defeat - he’d slip it into Jongdae’s back pocket or something later. “Besides, I don’t take money from someone who’s boyfriend’s a bitch.”   


Baekhyun tossed his head back. “I don’t wanna hear this anymore.” he groaned.   


“If it’s about that project thing you’ve got going on, I’ve heard all about it.” Jongin rolled his eyes, and Jongdae reached for his coffee, bringing it to his lips as he glared at Jongin from over the rim.   


“Stop being petty.” Baekhyun reached over and slapped Jongdae’s forehead, causing him to cry out and press a hand to the spot. “If you’ve got beef with Kyungsoo, beef it out with him, not complain to us.”   


“Isn’t that what these are for?” Jongdae argued, gesturing to the booth with a sweep of his hand. “I mean, that’s all  _ you _ ever do.”   


“I don’t  _ complain _ . I can’t; you’re sitting right there.”    


“Oh, please. It’s always-”    


“Cut it out, the both of you.” Jongin cut in, snapping his fingers between them. “Can we have a nice chat for once?”    


“Yeah, Dae.” Baekhyun said pointedly, making a joking gesture. “I could be out banging Yixing instead.”   


Jongdae groaned, and Kyungsoo slid back into the booth, removing a chocolate chip cookie out of paper bag and breaking it in half. “Anyone else want some?” he asked, looking up. Both Baekhyun and Jongdae shook their heads, and Kyungsoo handed one half off to Jongin.   


Baekhyun sighed, folding his hands on top of his cup and leaning onto it. “I miss Yixing.”    


“You saw him like, less than a half hour ago. You were  _ just  _ texting him.” Jongdae said.   


“I know, but I miss him. I want to split a cookie with him.”   


“You can have some of mine.” Kyungsoo interjected, holding his piece out, and Baekhyun shook his head.   


“I don’t want a cookie, I just want to steal from him.”    


“Yeah, well, there’s a lot of things some of us would like to do that we can’t.” Jongdae snapped, and Jongin could already sense the tense air.    


It had already been almost a year since Kim Minseok left (or so Jongin’s been told), and it was quite natural for Jongdae to grow a little irritated and sensitive around the subject. Jongin knew that feeling well - he had been apart from Lee Taemin around the same amount of time.    


He couldn’t imagine what Taiwan would feel like now, being apart from Kyungsoo. Jongin figured it very safe to say that he liked Kyungsoo much more than he ever liked Taemin - perhaps the fact that he and Kyungsoo weren’t constantly breaking up and getting back together had a small part to play.   


Jongin did genuinely like Kyungsoo - one could even say he  _ loved _ him. Never once did Jongin’s feelings for Kyungsoo falter nor did he second-guess them; they only became stronger, and he only became more sure of himself as time went on.    


There were many aspects of Kyungsoo that gave Jongin the jitters, that feeling he had when he saw Kyungsoo for the first time. Taken aback, overwhelmed, flustered,  _ attacked _ almost.   


He had grown accustomed to this feeling, having it constantly around Kyungsoo. It was now normal, and instead of feeling normal when this jittery feeling left, he felt empty, as if a part of him was missing.   


“Don’t be such a Debbie Downer.” Baekhyun complained, reaching over and smacking Jongdae again.    


“Don’t tell me what to do.” Jongdae shot back, taking his turn to smack him.   


“Don’t smack me.” Baekhyun countered, smacking him back.   


Jongdae smacked Baekhyun again, but before he could get another shot out, Jongin waved his hand between the two of them. “Cut it out, both of you!” he scolded, lowering his arm. “Seriously. What’s gotten into you?”   


“Not Minseok.” Baekhyun muttered, glaring at Jongdae as he met his straw to his lips.    


Underneath the table, Jongdae swiftly kicked Baekhyun in the shins, and he cried out, bumping the table with his knee.    


“Don’t kick me!” Baekhyun cried, kicking Jongdae back.    


“You two are worse than children.” Jongin sighed.   


“If he wasn’t such a petty ass bi-” Baekhyun started.   


“If he would mind his own fu-”   


“Drop it, both of you!” Jongin intervened. “One of you have to have something to talk about.” They both opened their mouths, and Jongin cut them off again. “That’s not a complaint about the other.” They closed their mouths, and Baekhyun opened again, just to be cut off for a second time. “That’s not about Yixing.”    


Again, Baekhyun closed his mouth, and Jongdae opened, having something Jongin seemed suitable to contribute. “Did you figure out your project yet?”   


Jongin nodded, reaching under the table and laying a hand on Kyungsoo’s thigh. “Yeah, apparently we’re not doing anything. Something about lack of materials or something.”    


“That’s lame.” Baekhyun chided as Kyungsoo laid a hand atop Jongin’s. “I mean, it’s kinda better than mocks, but…” he shrugged.    


“Oh, speaking of projects.” Kyungsoo chimed in, speaking up. “I’m going to need your help for mine. Park Jihyo and I are doing mock trials. We got a murder trial, so we need a murderer, victim representative, jury, witnesses, etc etc.” he waved his hand in a continuing motion.    


“Oh, I can be the murderer!” Jongdae exclaimed, sticking his hand up. “I’m really good at that- I’m doing that for Jooeun already.”   


Baekhyun shot Jongdae a questioning look. “Did you just say you were really good at murder?”   


“Fake murder. Unless suicide counts.”   


“Suicide doesn’t count.” Kyungsoo replies. “But assisted suicide is still technically illegal.”    


“Who did you say you were partnered with?” Baekhyun asked, playing with his straw.   


“Park Jihyo.” Kyungsoo answered. “She’s a first year.”    


“Park Jihyo with the…” Jongdae trailed off, not wanting to say it outright in public, but gestured to his chest.   


“I don’t know.” Kyungsoo frowned, disgust playing at his face.   


“That is single handedly the most heterosexual thing I have ever heard a man with a boyfriend say.” Baekhyun commented.    


“That’s kinda gross, Alexa play  _ Grow Up _ by  _ Paramore _ .”     


Jongdae shot Jongin a look while Baekhyun reached his fist out across the table, and Jongin lightly tapped his knuckles against Baekhyun’s.   


“See, Jongdae? Again, how you properly use the Alexa meme.” Baekhyun said.    


Jongdae sighed, putting his head in his hands. “You guys always attack me.”   


“You kinda do it to yourself.” Kyungsoo murmured. 


	75. [COFFEE] XIV / Alcohol, Drag Queens, and a Gay Ol' Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; drug mentions

_ -Day 352; May 16th, 2018- _

**oohsehunnie** : meet at my dorm for 2:30 for dress fitting + baekkie bring the panties    
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : whAt   
**junghobihoseok** : i don’t wanna come anymore   
**oohsehunnie** : the drag panties my lord I swapped him with nini bc nini’s a lil btch and can’t do sht

**baekthosebyuns** : IM ON IT   
**baekthosebyuns** : IM SO EXCITED   
**baekthosebyuns** : I GOT KIND OF OFFENDED AT FIRST THAT YOU WERE GONNA MAKE NINI TUCK INSTEAD OF ME   
**junghobihoseok** : What the fUCK   
**junghobihoseok** : What drugs are you on and is there enough to share   
**oohsehunnie** : the only drugs I’m on is prescribed medication swag 😎

**baekthosebyuns** : all the cool kidz are on prescribed medication for our many mental problems 😎   
**junghobihoseok** : you guys are making me sad

**oohsehunnie** : that’s what satan said when I tried to sell my soul to him   
**oohsehunnie** : he asked for a refund   
**baekthosebyuns** : he said he’ll put in a good word for me to get me into heaven bc even tho im gay he doesn’t wanna see me in hell so now I’m destined to spend eternity in heaven with the heteros™️   
**not minseok✨** : ew **  
** **oohsehunnie** : but yea meet at my dorm for 2:30 you all know where it is   
**kyungsoo93** : i don’t

**oohsehunnie** : fck Off you’re literally my roommate AND presently in the dorm

**jonginini** : !! I’m here too !!

_ /oohsehunnie sent a photo/ _   
**kyungsoo93** : ew delete that   
**baekthosebyuns** : i never thought I’d see kyungsio and jongin cuddle   
**not minseok✨** : you’re one to talk mr. I-practically-have-my-ass-glued-to-yixings-lap   
**baekthosebyuns** : okay I didn’t come here to be attacked   
**junghobihoseok** : then what did you come here for    
**baekthosebyuns** : alcohol, drag queens, and a gay ol’ time   
**junghobihoseok** : Beautiful    
  


Even though Kim Jongin was early, showing up at his boyfriend’s before 2:30, he  _ still _ somehow ended up being the last person there.    


The furniture in the room was pushed to the sides, making the dorm look larger than usual.    


White dividers had been set up in a row to the right like stalls, sheets fitted to rods that slid back and forth like curtains.   


To the left was an array of racks attached to wheels, each displaying a bright pink piece of paper. They had garments carefully placed in zip-up plastic bags on them, and each piece of plastic had another label on it.   


Oh Sehun and a woman Jongin had never seen before were hunched over the table, carefully focused and deep in discussion about whatever the mass of papers in front of them held.   


Considering there was no furniture, Do Kyungsoo and the rest of their friends sat in the middle of the floor, all preoccupied with different activities.   


Kyungsoo sat near Lee Jooeun and Min Yoongi, a few playing cards laid out before them.   


Byun Baekhyun sat on Zhang Yixing, his arm around his shoulders. Baekhyun was telling something to him and Kim Jongdae, who sat in front of them, his eyes flitting between the two and down to his phone, where he’d type out something, look back up, and then down again.   


A black bag sat near Baekhyun, something stitched carefully onto it in white. A messy white ribbon had been tied around one of the bag’s straps.   


Jeon Jungkook and Park Jimin had a notebook laid in front of them, and Jungkook traced his finger over the page, explaining the contents to his classmate.   


Jung Hoseok laid near them, knees bent and back to the floor, his phone in front of his face. As Jongin came and sat with his friends, Hoseok’s phone slipped from his fingers and hit his face, causing Huang Zitao to laugh and point in a joking, mocking way. In protest to this, Hoseok picked up his phone and chucked it over his head at Tao. It hit his chest with a thud and an over-dramatic cry.   


Noticing Jongin had sat down, dropping his backpack on the floor as he did so, Kyungsoo scooted closer, the familiar small smile playing on his lips. “Hi.”   


“Hey.” Jongin replied, peering over his boyfriend’s shoulder and at his cards. “What are you playing?”   


“ _ Go Fish _ . It’s the only game Jooeun knows how to play.”   


“Got a three?” Yoongi cut in, and Kyungsoo shook his head. Yoongi sighed and reached over, drawing a card from the pile.   


“Got a three?” Jooeun asked, grinning, and Yoongi begrudgingly handed over his card to the cackling Jooeun, who added it to her collection of many already-made matches.   


“Anyways, how was class?” Kyungsoo asked.   


Jongin lit up. “It was great. We watched a video on baby goats. I don’t even know why, I was too focused on the kids. They’re so cute. I want a kid now.”    


“Woah, Jongin. You’re not even married yet.” Baekhyun called over, and Kyungsoo pressed his hands to his face, flushing a deep colour.    


“No, like a goat kid.” Jongin explained.   


“Oh my gosh, Jongin.” Jongdae hissed. “If you’re going to talk smack about your boyfriend, do it behind his back. He’s sitting right there.”   


Kyungsoo gasped in offence, and looked conflicted, as if he was unsure on whether to hit Jongin or Jongdae.   


“No, a baby goat is called a kid. They’re so cute, look! I have photos.” Jongin leaned forward scrolling through a few photos on his phone. “We saw a bunch on Monday and I took a lot of photos. This one’s name is Cedric.”   


“If you ever have a son, you have to name him Cedric now.” Baekhyun commented.   


“Cedric, like, Diggory?” Jungkook asked. “Like the character Cedric?”   


Jongin shrugged, and Yoongi sighed again. “I’m still very disappointed you didn’t get that tattoo.”   


“What tattoo?” Tao questioned, a concerned and confused look plastered on his face.   


Jimin turned his arm out, facing the group. Inked small and neatly near the crook of his elbow was ‘managed’, written entirely in black.    


“Jungkook and I were going to get matching tattoos summer before school started.” Jimin told. “Yoongi took us to his tattoo guy and I went first. When it was Jungkook’s turn, he got so scared of the needle he ran out and down the block.   


“So now, whenever I’m asked, ‘Jimin, what’s the meaning behind your tattoo?’ I have to say ‘it’s supposed to be a matching tattoo with Jungkook - he was going to get ‘mischief’ and I got ‘managed’, but he chickened out and now I’m stuck with this story and this half-done tattoo.”    


“Yoongi has a tattoo?” Baekhyun demanded, skipping over the story and ultimately saving Jungkook anymore embarrassment than he was already feeling.    


Yoongi nodded, and the expression he wore was hard to read - it was as if he was regarding everyone in the room as idiots who didn’t understand the most obvious and simplest of things.   


He rolled up his sleeve, flashing the outside of his arm. In the same careful inking style as Jimin’s, a music staff depicted a few bars of notes, ending in a repeat sign. There was a small composer’s name tattooed above it, but it was too small for Jongin to read from where he was.   


“I’m surprised you haven’t seen it before.” Yoongi murmured. “I’m planning on turning it into a sleeve.”   


“What song is it?” Kyungsoo asked.   


“Is it ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’?” Baekhyun guessed.   


“No.” Yoongi retaliated, a hint of offence lacing his voice as he tugged his sleeve back down, quickly covering the tattoo. “It’s a song my friend wrote me.”    


“Awe, that’s pretty.”    


“Oh, Jongin.” Sehun muttered, finally turning and approaching the group. “You’re here.”   


“I’ve been here for awhile now; thanks for noticing.”    


Sehun waved him away dismissively. “Anyways, this’ll work a lot like it did last year - those racks over there are all labelled with your names. Try everything on, it’s all labelled with what goes with what. You can change in the dividers, the bathroom is for Baekhyun. Tape’s already in there, and Jongdae or I can help you with that if you need it.   


“When you try your things on, be careful with them please - I don’t have time to remake entire pieces. When you have it on, come show me. Tell me how it fits - we need to make sure nothing’s too small or too tight or whatever. Jongin, one of your shirts will look too small, it’s supposed to be like that, it’s a crop top. And I think I gave oversized items to Jungkook and Kyungsoo.   


“Hyemi’s here to try and test makeup colours. She’s not doing full face today, but she may take photos for testing later. Baekhyun, are you doing your own?”   


“I can, yeah.” he nodded.   


“Okay, good. Any questions?” no one answered. “Okay, Jooeun, I’m going to help you with your dress first because I’ll have to tie the back up for you.”    


Immediately everyone dispersed, dragging their assigned rack over to a pop-up change room, except Jungkook, who let everyone else use the change rooms and opted to change in the corner.   


“It’s not like I’m taking my underwear off.” he argued when Yixing offered to share with him. “You’ve all seen me shirtless before.”   


“I haven’t.” Jongdae interjected, sticking his head out from behind the curtain.    


“Well, you have now.”   


“Our Jungkookie’s eating well.” Tao commented, jabbing in the stomach. Jungkook twisted away to the tickling touch.   


“Yeah, he ate an entire pack of cookies before we came.” Yoongi called out from behind the curtain.   


“Hey! I split that pack with Jimin. I didn’t eat it all on my own.”    


“Sehun!” Yoongi called opening the curtain a little bit. “I have a feeling these aren’t going to fit.”   


Sehun turned away from Jooeun, who leaned on the counter. Sehun stood behind her, two ribbons hanging from the dress wrapped around his hands.   


“What do you mean?”   


“It doesn’t fit.” Yoongi whispered.   


“Let me see.”   


“I’m not coming out in this.”    


Sehun sighed, dropping the ribbons and walking over to Yoongi’s divider. Jooeun gasped, drawing in heavy, laboured breaths.   


“Sehun, I can’t breathe in this.”   


“You’re fine.” he called over, and then took a look at Yoongi’s clothes rack. “You dumb fuck!” he cried, ripping the label off and waving it in Yoongi’s face. “This says  _ Yixing _ !”    


“It’s not my fault you wrote it in such a way I can’t read it.” Yoongi retaliated, getting defensive and pushing the oversized sleeves up.    


“I was going to say.” Yixing laughed, emerging from his divider. He was clad in clothes too small for him - the pant-legs rode up above his ankles and the sleeves barely reached his wrists.    


“Take that off, you’re going to tear the seams.” Sehun hissed.   


“I wanna see!” Baekhyun cried, poking his head out from around the bathroom door. “You look adorable! Someone get a photo for me, please.”   


“Already on it.” Jongdae snickered, his phone moving from Yixing to Yoongi. “Smile, Yoons!”   


“Don’t call me that.” he growled. “Don’t film me. I’ll fuck you up.”   


“Not in those clothes you’re not.” Sehun said, shoving Yoongi back into the divider.   


For the most part, the rest of the fitting went well - Jooeun finally fit into the dress in such a way where she was also able to breathe, and Hyemi had found a base she really liked for Jungkook’s skin tone.   


Sehun said Kyungsoo fit all his clothes perfectly, and was one of the only people Sehun didn’t touch. Jongin snuck a few photos of his boyfriend from behind his own changing curtain.   


“Sehun!” Baekhyun cried, banging the bathroom door open and standing in the hallway. “This is single handedly the worst thing you have ever given me.”   


He gestured to himself, the 5-inch heels and the plain white dress that reached his knees.   


“Oh, just you wait.” Sehun smirked knowingly. “Jongin! What are you wearing?”   


“The white crop top.” Jongin squeaked out.    


He hated it. He felt exposed and vulnerable, like someone in a skirt catching someone else looking up it. The material was scratchy, and Jongin already had nasty red marks up and down his arms. The pants were tight, and Jongin would’ve felt better wearing no pants at all.   


“Come out, let me see.”    


“No.”    


“Don’t be difficult. I told you, it fits fine.”   


“I hate it.”   


“You won’t hate it in a minute. Come out.”   


Reluctantly, Jongin stepped out, his arms wrapped tightly around himself in an attempt to cover himself up.   


“Hyemi, the light, please.”    


Sehun reached over and flicked the dorm lights off, while Hyemi flicked a tall lamp on. It glowed violet, and she angled the light at Jongin.   


Immediately his shirt lit up, a small phrase being able to be seen as he moved his arms away.   


“The theme we got is ‘eccentric neon’.” Sehun explained. “So, I took that literally and used some UV paint and such. I could only get pink glitter, though.” he frowned.   


Jongin glanced down at the shirt, and sure enough, the glowing pink glitter, designed to look like cursive neon lights displayed the name of Sehun’s project, ‘Eau d’Oh Vol.II’.    


“Just so we know, I hate the name of your line.” Jongdae chided.   


“You look really hot in that.” Kyungsoo whispered, loud enough for Jongin to hear. He turned around to face his boyfriend, who had his phone up in front of his face.   


“Are you taking pictures?” Jongin hissed as the light moved off of him and onto Baekhyun, causing another round of awe to rise and Sehun to launch into some mini-speech about the stitching.   


“Filming.”   


“Well, cut it out.” Jongin slapped the phone down, but not enough for it to tumble out of his hands.   


“You should see if you can keep that afterwards.”    


“I haven’t seen your things.”   


“Yours are hot. Mine looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.”   


“I still wanna see it.”   


Kyungsoo shook his head, pressing his lips together. “You’ll have to wait until the presentation.”   


“Presentation?”   


Kyungsoo nodded. “We get to walk down the runway like models. It sounds fun, but it’s kind of boring, really.”   


The lights turned back on, and Kyungsoo returned his rack to where he had gotten it from, and Jongin slipped back into the change room.   


“Sehun!” Jungkook yelled, holding his arms out. He wore a suit jacket, the material metallic and shiny. “Are you sure this fits?”   


Sehun faced him, and with more drama than necessary, placed his hand over his chest and gasped.    


Jungkook’s jacket sleeves went halfway down his forearms.    


Sehun grabbed a tape measure, holding it up to Jungkook’s arm. “Shit.” he muttered, leaning over and peering at a notebook that laid on a table. “I think I read your nine as a six.”     


Retracting the tape measure, he took a step back, biting his lip as he regarded Jungkook. “You know what?” Sehun asked, grabbing a pair of scissors. “We’re just gonna…” he trailed off, snipping at a piece of Jungkook’s sleeve, and tearing the rest of it off. “It’ll have to do.” he said after a moment, and then ripped the other sleeve off.   


“The pants are okay though?” Jungkook asked, waving his leg out.   


“Yeah.” Sehun frowned, holding the sleeves out in front of him.    


“Why didn’t you just make the sleeves longer?” Yoongi asked.   


“Because I don’t have anymore of this material.” Sehun signed. “And I don’t have time to make whole new sleeves. Hem them, yes, but on top of fixing  _ someone’s _ -” he paused to shoot Yixing a pointed glare. “pants, sleeves will take way too long. And it’ll mess up the stitching on the rest of the jacket.”   


“I’m sorry!” Yixing cried. “It’s not my fault they broke.”   


“If you hadn’t slut dropped in them they wouldn’t have split!”   


“Hey!” Baekhyun yelled defensively, now changed back into his regular clothes. “I wanted to make sure his ass looked good in those pants. Which it did, especially the part where they split.”   


Yixing hit Baekhyun in the arm, and Baekhyun squealed, laughing.   


“Fittings are supposed to  _ relieve _ stress, not add to it.” Sehun commented, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I need a bath. Everyone out.”    



	76. [COFFEE] XV / All That He Sees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; sexual references; drug mentions

_ -Day 367; May 30th, 2018- _

For the most part, everyone’s projects went on without a hitch.    


The biggest problem was that Byun Baekhyun boasted so much about how good he was at walking in heels, that Kim Jongdae switched them out for a larger pair. Baekhyun had a little more difficulty walking in these, and fell at the end of the runway, but managed to pull it off.   


Both Oh Sehun and Pyo Hyemi got top marks.   


Everyone else did well, even Jeon Jungkook, who caught a stomach bug the day of his project. He took the fact that he didn’t throw up all over his examiner as a pass in itself.    


Most of them began to focus more on their studies, having to complete the exams that came creeping closer and closer with each passing day.   


“You know this!” Jung Hoseok shouted, slamming his fist on the textbook. “What’s the answer, Jungkook? What! Is! The! Answer?”   


“I don’t know.” Jungkook whined, putting his face in his hands.   


“I know! I know!” Park Jimin insisted, his hand stuck in the air eagerly. He was seated on the floor beside his friend.   


“I know you do, Jimin.” Hoseok groaned. “But does Jungkook?”   


“No!” Jungkook shouted, flopping over backwards onto his back, his arms and legs spread out. “I’m a failure! I should just drop out now!”   


Exams hit everyone hard. There were little to no antics during their cram study time, and the only evidence that that period of time actually happened was a video on Jongdae’s phone of Kyungsoo’s mental breakdown.    


“Stop filming me.” Kyungsoo snapped, swatting the phone away. “It’s not funny; stop laughing.”   


Kyungsoo got his revenge in a few days time, filming Jongdae’s own breakdown.    


“Go away!” Jongdae whined, wiping at his face. “I’ll fuck you up.”   


“You and what muscles?”   


“Fuck off, panini head.”   


“That’s not nice. This is bullying! Abuse! Jongin!”   


“Don’t call my boyfriend a panini head!” Kim Jongin called from the next room.   


“He started it! I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now.”   


By some miracle, everyone survived exams; even Lee Jooeun, who didn’t even show up to her exam.   


“Live fast. I don’t got time for petty exams. I need to be out doing something important!”   


“You just got an email saying you failed your entire class.” Jongdae read off her phone.   


“Swag.” was her only reply.   


With the sweet release of exams came the savoury indulgence of end-of-year parties, graduation, and more importantly - returns.   


“Make it green. Chanyeol likes green.” Kyungsoo told Jongin, pointing to green poster board with his left hand. He held his wallet, keys, and phone in that hand, his right hand tightly laced in Jongin’s.    


“But he’ll see the orange better.” Jongin argued, holding onto the corner of the paper.    


“The green is just as bright as the orange.”    


“Green glitter glue will stand out better on orange than the orange on green.”   


Kyungsoo didn’t say anything, having no more arguments.   


“The orange is cheaper, anyways.” Jongin finished, taking the paper.    


And so a few days later, Kyungsoo stood in the airport, holding one end of a neon orange cardstock sign that loudly proclaimed ‘welcome home Chanyeol, our boyfriend’ in green glitter glue.   


“I feel like people are getting the wrong message with this sign.” Kyungsoo muttered.   


“And what might that be?” Jongin asked.   


“That we’re  _ both _ dating Chanyeol.”   


“We could be. Betty and Veronica did it.”   


“Betty and Veronica are comic book characters. And neither of us are dating Chanyeol. We’re dating each other.”    


“I’d break up with you for Chanyeol. Chanyeol’s amazing.”   


“Shut up, you love me.” Kyungsoo hit a laughing Jongin in the arm. “And Chanyeol’s too hung up on Baekhyun to even  _ consider _ dating you.”   


“You got me there - I do love you.” Jongin leaned down and kissed Kyungsoo. “There he is!” Jongin exclaimed, and Kyungsoo’s gaze snapped up.   


He quickly laid eyes on Chanyeol, which wasn’t very hard, considering Chanyeol was a giant and his hair was bright blue. He wore a black tee shirt and a black baseball cap, a silver suitcase wheeled behind him.   


He walked beside a shorter girl, her hair a muddy ginger. Despite the weather, she wore jean shorts and a baggy, oversized blue tee shirt. She had a pair of sunglasses perched atop her head, and also dragged a suitcase behind her.   


Kyungsoo watched as Chanyeol’s gaze lifted up from the woman beside him and gently scanned the crowded airport, eventually falling on a smiling Kyungsoo and a madly waving Jongin.   


“Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol cried, grabbing the lady’s hand and pulling her over towards the two of them. “Jongin!” Once he approached them, he dropped his suitcase and hugged both of them tightly.    


“I missed you both.” he continued, kissing Jongin on the cheek. Kyungsoo swatted at his arm. “Oh!” he exclaimed, pushing the girl in front of him. “This is Ashley. I mentioned her.”   


“So I’ve heard.” Kyungsoo muttered. “I’m Kyungsoo.” he greeted Ashley Choi.   


“And I’m his boyfriend, Jongin.” he, in turn, also greeted her.    


“I am Ashley.” she chirped, and, much to Kyungsoo’s surprise, the girl’s Korean was quite natural and smooth.   


“I thought you said none of your friends spoke Korean.” he told him.   


“She doesn’t really, but I’ve taught her a little because I’m  _ such _ a good friend.”   


Jongin blew air out sharply between his lips. “You wish.”   


“You get okay-est friend.” Kyungsoo added, and Jongin shot him a hurt look.   


“How come he gets okay friend but I get mediocre boyfriend?”   


“Because that’s what you are. Mediocre.”    


“I ran across campus for you!”   


“In ten minutes.”   


“Ten minutes is fucking weak, man.” Chanyeol commented, slapping Jongin on the back as he and Ashley pushed past. “Where’s your car parked?”   


Jongin sighed. “I’ll show you.”   
  


~•~   


“I’ll grab your suitcases for you.” Jongin said, climbing out of the car.   


The four had pulled up outside Chanyeol’s house.   


“You’re coming to Sehun’s party tomorrow, right?” Kyungsoo asked, turning around to face Chanyeol in the backseat before he climbed out.   


“Might as well.” Chanyeol shrugged. He turned to Ashley, saying something Kyungsoo didn’t understand as they clambered out of Jongin’s car. “Ashley says she’s not coming. She’s tired.”   


“What about graduation?”   


“I thought you guys graduated already.”   


Kyungsoo shook his head. “Friday.”   


“Oh.” Chanyeol muttered, frowning. “I’ll have to check - I think I may have something planned that day.”   


“Did you graduate already?”   


Chanyeol nodded. “Monday.”   


“That’s when we started exams.”   


“Oh. How’d those go?”   


Kyungsoo shrugged. “I think mine went well. Jooeun failed her entire class.”   


Chanyeol’s brow furrowed, and he frowned again in confusion. “Jooeun? Do I know her?”   


“I believe so. Blonde hair, Jongdae’s friend? Yay high?” he gestured against himself.    


“I think I’ll know her when I see her.”   
  
~•~   
  


“He’s being such a bitch.” Kyungsoo complained later that day, laying in bed with Jongin. Jongin was half-listening to Kyungsoo’s lamentations, half-watching the movie that played out before the on his laptop.    


“I hate her.” Kyungsoo sighed. “I  _ hate _ her! She’s all he looks at and all he cares about. What’s so great about her, anyways? ‘Oh, look at me I can dye my hair and speak three words of Korean.’ I can do that too, you ain’t special, boo.”   


Jongin turned to face Kyungsoo, hitting the spacebar and pausing the movie. “Sounds like someone’s jealous.” he teased.   


“I’m not jealous.” Kyungsoo defended himself, pushing himself up in bed and crossing his arms. “I just don’t like her. He acts like she’s all that. She’s not! I don’t know what  _ that _ is, but she doesn’t have it! She’s not it!”   


“Why do you care so much about who Chanyeol brings home? Are you fucking him behind my back or something?”   


Kyungsoo laughed, leaning onto Jongin’s chest and kissing his cheek. “No, not Chanyeol, but everyone knows I’m secretly doing Jihyo.”   


Jongin kissed his lips, only speaking when he released him. “Seriously though, why does she have your panties in such a twist?”   


“Don’t say that; that sounds weird.” Kyungsoo made a face. “And ‘cause Chanyeol’s supposed to be  _ my _ friend. And Chanyeol’s supposed to like Bae-”   


“Soo, Chanyeol can have more than just you as a friend.”   


“That’s not what I’m saying.” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “What I’m saying is that he can’t be screwing her. You saw how they acted today! They probably got married in Canada.” He pushed himself up and away from Jongin, upsetting the laptop. “She’s ruining everything!”   


Jongin placed his hands on Kyungsoo’s sides carefully, gently pulling him back down. “Well, give it a day.” he ran his hands through Kyungsoo’s hair as he spoke. “You’ll see Chan again tomorrow at Sehun’s. I have a feeling you’re overthinking this.” he laughed, kissing his forehead.   


Kyungsoo shook his head. “I’m right. I’m always right. 100% right.”   


“You called me a mediocre boyfriend. You’re 100% wrong about that.”   


“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”   


Jongin kissed Kyungsoo again, and then jabbed him in the side, causing him to squirm away from him. “You love me.”   


“We just went over this, Nini. I love Jihyo, hence why I’m screwing her.”   


“And I’m screwing Taemin.” Jongin said, sarcasm lacing his words.   


Kyungsoo frowned, an expression of anger and hurt crossing his face. “That’s not funny.” Kyungsoo told him. “Don’t make that joke.”   


“But you just did!” Jongin cried, laughing as he poked Kyungsoo’s side again.   


“Because everyone knows Park Jihyo is doing the biggest lesbian on the planet, Minatozaki Sana.”   


“But Sana can  _ never _ take Kim Hyunah and Lee Sunmi’s spot as hottest lesbian couple.”   


“Who knows, maybe it’ll be the hottest lesbian threesome.”   


“Okay, but seriously for a second. We all know I’m not  _ actually _ screwing Taemin anymore.” Jongin kissed him again, and Kyungsoo spoke when they broke away.   


“I know, but I don’t like that joke. That’s my biggest fear.” He leaned down onto his chest, being able to hear his heartbeat underneath.   


“Your biggest fear is heights.”   


“Well, now it’s losing you, especially to Lee Taemin. You told me you were constantly off and on. What’s to stop you from going back to him? Your last boyfriend cheated on you, and that makes you more likely to cheat.”   


Jongin laid his hand to rest on Kyungsoo’s cheek. “I think you have that the wrong way around, babe.” he paused, kissing his forehead. “But I would  _ never _ cheat on you. Sure, my last relationship was a mess, but I’m not bringing any of that into this. You know what the difference between you and Taemin is?”   


“The fact that we’re both completely different people?”   


“Yes, and the fact that I love you. I don’t think I ever truly loved Taemin. At least, not as much as I love you.” he kissed him again.   


“Still, I don’t want to lose you. Not just to Taemin, but to anyone.”   


“Don’t worry - you won’t. I love you. I think I should be the one worried about losing  _ you _ , with the way you talk about Chanyeol.”   


“I still hate her.”   
  
~•~   
  
Kyungsoo and Jongin had been at Oh Sehun’s party for hours, helping Sehun and Huang Zitao lug as much alcohol as they could get their hands on in and blow up the few balloons Tao bought as a joke.   


The party was in full swing, with everyone already there by the time Chanyeol finally arrived.   


“Chanyeol!” Kyungsoo cried, greeting him. “Nice of you to show up!”   


Due to Kyungsoo and Jongin’s previous commitments, none of them could pick him up. How Chanyeol got here was a mystery to Kyungsoo.   


“Sorry.” Chanyeol muttered. “I got held up.”    


Kyungsoo shot Jongin a look, rolling his eyes, and then turned back to Chanyeol. “Anyways, that’s Jooeun over there.” he gestured to the group Kyungsoo and Jongin had departed from in order to greet him. “There’s not much you need to know.” he added as the three made their way over.   


“Chanyeol!” Kim Jongdae shouted as they approached, placing his hands on his cheeks. “I’m so glad to see you. I thought you were going to die of hypothermia.”    


“It’s actually not that cold in Canada.” Chanyeol said, removing Jongdae’s hands from his face, and then laid his hand on the short blond near him. “Hey, Jooeun-”   


They turned around, giving Chanyeol an inquisitive look. “I’m Jimin.” he said.   


“Chanyeollie!” Jungkook cheered from beside him.   


“Sorry, I thought you were Jooeun.” Chanyeol laughed, and Kyungsoo sighed beside him, turning away and leaning into Jongin.   


“Do you have Alzheimer’s?” Jungkook asked, causing Jimin to slap him in the arm.   


“Oh my gosh, Kookie, you can’t just ask people if they have Alzheimer’s.”   


“Do tall people get Alzheimer’s easier?”   


“Jungkook!”   


Eventually more people came to see Chanyeol, even Moon Byulyi, who made a comment about missing seeing him around campus and how she went to school with Jongdae, who tried to run away afterwards.   


Chanyeol eventually found the  _ real  _ Jooeun, and for what was probably the first time ever, Yixing and Baekhyun weren’t glued together as Yixing had been dragged off by Jimin and Jungkook.   


Awhile later, a semi-drunk Yixing found the group again, his arms wrapped around both Jimin and Jungkook.   


“Where’s Baekkie?” he asked, his words slurred. “I’ve decided I’m adopting Jinmin and Jungkookie as my sons and I have to tell Baekhyun to pay child support.”   


“I’m Jimin.” Jimin muttered, tired of having to correct people who seemed to forget who he was and how to properly say his name when drunk. Byulyi has even mistaken him for the completely wrong Park Jimin.    


Glancing around, Kyungsoo quickly realized there were a few people missing from the group.   


Of course, he and Kim Jongin were there, along with the newly added Zhang Yixing, Park Jimin, and Jeon Jungkook.   


Kim Jongdae was there, an arm slung around Lee Jooeun’s shoulders.    


Another quick glance around the room told Kyungsoo that Oh Sehun was standing on a table on the other side of the room, aggressively shaking a bottle of pop. He then twisted the top off and dumped the exploding contents onto an unsuspecting Huang Zitao underneath, who was deep in conversation with Liu Xiening.   


However, Kyungsoo couldn’t place either Byun Baekhyun or Park Chanyeol, despite how loud Baekhyun was or how tall Chanyeol was.   


“Baekhyun told me he was looking for you.” Jongdae said, his arm sliding down Jooeun’s arm. “He went back to our room with a headache. He told me to tell you and to tell people not to go looking for him.”   


“That doesn’t explain where Chanyeol is.” Kyungsoo chimed in.   


“He told me something about exploring.” Sehun said, appearing with a sopping wet Zitao. He clamped his hand on Kyungsoo’s arm. “Speaking of which, mind going back to the dorm and grabbing a towel for me please?”   


“Why can’t you?”   


“Because I jumped off the table and fell and hit my head really hard. There’s blood. Tao’s gonna check me out in the bathroom.”   


“Go to a hospital, Sehunnie.” Jooeun suggested, but he waved her off.   


“Sehun, are you drunk?” Jongin asked.   


He shook his head. “Nope, just high and stupid.”   


“You’re not high.” Yixing argued, laughing. “If you were high, I’d be able to smell you. And your eyes-”   


“Thank you, Yixing.” Jimin silenced him, laying a finger on his lips.   


“He’s not high.” Tao agreed. “He has one smoke from a vape and now he  _ thinks _ he’s high.”   


“Whether Sehun is actually high or not is none of my business at the moment.” Kyungsoo sighed, removing Jongin’s arms from around his shoulders and neck. “I’m running to grab that towel.”   


Before he could catch any more snarky comments, Kyungsoo took his leave, making his way over the dorm he shared with Sehun.   


When Kyungsoo opened the dorm door, he expected to be met with silence, as the dorm was empty with neither tenants being in it.   


Instead, he was greeted with a few moans that frankly, weirded him out and scared him as that meant someone was in his dorm that was not someone he trusted, and he did not plan on being assaulted that night.   


“Chanyeol?” he squeaked out, hanging onto the last bit of hope at the people having sex in his dorm were not murderers.   


He peered around the corner, preparing himself.   


“Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol hissed, and there was movement, and Kyungsoo clamped his hands over his eyes, not wanting to repeat nor think about what he saw and what was now unfortunately forever engraved in his mind. “Kyungsoo?”   


“You better have clothes on.”   


“I do, I do. Listen, Soo-” Chanyeol gently laid his hands on Kyungsoo’s, lowering them away from his eyes. “What did you-”   


“Do Kyungsoo, I swear to fucking God, if you tell a fucking soul I’ll fuck you up-”   


“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol hissed, pushing the other man back and shushing his threat. “But seriously, Kyungsoo, I don’t know what you saw, but you seriously can’t tell  _ anyone _ , you hear?”    


“I don’t even want to  _ think _ about what I just saw ever again.” Before Chanyeol or Baekhyun could threaten him more, he left his dorm, hurrying back to where the others were.   


He grabbed Jongin’s hand, trying to pull him away.   


“Jongin.” he hissed. “We have to go back, I have to tell you something.”   


Confused, Jongin let his boyfriend pull him all the way out into the hall and to his dorm, and it was there Kyungsoo finally spoke.   


“I walked in on Chanyeol banging Baekhyun.”   


Jongin’s face contorted. “That’s not very nice of him. It’s not nice to beat your friends. Did you help him? Baekhyun? Don’t help Chanyeol. That’s not very nice of you.”   


Kyungsoo was astounded by his boyfriend’s stupidity, and he let his mouth hang agape for a moment before he backtracked, rephrasing what he said.   


“No, I mean like, fucking. I walked in on Baekhyun fucking Chanyeol. Do you know what this means?”   


Jongin obviously had a few beers in him (or was at least a little high) as he seemed completely oblivious to anything Kyungsoo said, no matter how simply he laid it out for him.   


“That Baekhyun tops?”   


“No, you big dummy! Baekhyun’s cheating on Yixing! For his ex!”   


“Who’s his ex? Let me guess - Jongdae. You know, I could always tell-”   


“No! Chanyeol! Chanyeol is his ex! We’ve been over this! Oh my gosh, how high are you?”   


“About 442 feet above sea level.”   


“How do you know that?” Kyungsoo asked, running a hand through his hair, giving his boyfriend a stressed and panicked look.   


“I don’t know.” Jongin whispered. “Was I right?”   


“I don’t know!” Kyungsoo shouted, growing agitated. “Go ask - GAH!”   


Kyungsoo struggled to find someone that would know the answer to that, and he collapsed to the floor, sitting on the bare tile.   


Jongin sat down beside him, putting an arm around Kyungsoo, guiding him to rest his head on his shoulder. “Would you like some Xanax?”   


Temporarily lifting his head off his shoulder, Kyungsoo again regarded his boyfriend with confusion and worry. “Are you trying to deal me _ drugs _ ?”   


“Because you are freaking out, and it is freaking me out.”   


“And we are all freaking the fuck out.” Kyungsoo muttered, leaning his head on Jongin’s shoulder again.   


“I’m tired. Are you ready for bed? If Baekhyun’s cheating on Yixing by fucking Chanyeol in your dorm than you should sleep with me.”   


Jongin stood up, and Kyungsoo sighed, holding his hands out for help up as well. “I want some cuddles, anyways.”   


The moment Jongin pulled Kyungsoo to his feet, he wrapped his arms around him again from behind, and then scooped him up, carrying him across the room to the bed.   


“Put me down!” Kyungsoo cried, thrashing, but Jongin just leaned onto the bed, Kyungsoo still in his arms as if he were a doll.    


“I’m sleeping.”   


“No you’re not.”   


“That’s what you think.”   


There was silence for a moment, before Kyungsoo turned over, leaning in close to Jongin.    


“Should we tell Yixing?”   


“Yixing doesn’t care if we’re sleeping.”   


“That Baekhyun’s cheating on him, Nini.”   


“Baekhyun’s cheating on Yixing?”   


“We’ve been over this. With Chanyeol. His ex. I walked in on them and they both threatened me not to tell anyone, but of course that doesn’t mean you.”   


“I’m too tired to tell Yixing.”   


“Fair.”   


“Night, Soosie.” Jongin messily kissed his forehead.   


“Good night, Nini.”


	77. [COFFEE] XVI / Bad Idea For Your Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Alcohol and drug mentions; mild language; adultery

_ -Day 369; June 1st, 2018- _

Graduation was that day, and for the better part of the morning Kim Jongin tried to sleep off his high and hangover.    


Kim Jongdae stopped by in the morning, dropping off a case of beer.    


“The best way to get over a hangover is to drink through it.” he had said, cracking a can open and handing it off to Jongin.   


“And the high?”   


“Finish the milk.”   


The usual hysteria of graduation later ensued, and Byun Baekhyun had even texted everyone declaring a state of emergency over some small, petty reason, and then declared another when he had cried all his eye makeup off onto Zhang Yixing’s white dress shirt. Oh Sehun ended up spending the better part of the day cleaning Yixing’s shirt, as he was the only one who knew how to get a dark stain out of a white shirt, and would actually do it.   


Do Kyungsoo had sent an endless slew of texts to Park Chanyeol and called him at least five times, asking if he was coming to graduation and if he needed ride. It was twenty minutes into the ceremony and Kyungsoo was still yet to hear back.   


He sat in the auditorium with Jongin, Park Jimin, Jeon Jungkook, Shin Hyejeong, Oh Sehun, Jung Hoseok, and Kim Junmyeon, who had managed to make time to come see his friends (just barely, he and Seo Juhyun slid into the end of the aisle only a few minutes before).   


“Nini.” Kyungsoo whispered halfway through, elbowing his boyfriend. “Is that Minseok over there?”   


He gestured across the aisle, to a group of people who had a striking resemblance to Jongdae and a man who looked  _ just _ like Kim Minseok.   


“I don’t know.” Jongin shrugged. “I’ve never met him.”   


Kyungsoo sighed. “Ask Sehun. He knows him.”   


Jongin turned and whispered into Sehun’s ear, who shot Jongin a look, looked across the aisle, and then gave Jongin another look of shock and amazement. He then clambered atop their other friends, practically sitting in Jungkook’s lap to whisper in Junmyeon’s ear, who also looked across the aisle. He nodded, and then whispered in Sehun’s ear again before Sehun returned to his proper seat.   


Sehun passed the message onto Jongin, who in turn whispered it to Kyungsoo.   


“Both Junmyeon and Sehun say that’s Minseok. Junmyeon says he told him he got an early flight back, but isn’t supposed to tell anyone so don’t go around spreading it.”    


“Cool.” Kyungsoo muttered. “Why isn’t he sitting with us?”   


Again, Jongin leaned over to Sehun, who climbed over their friends to talk to Junmyeon, and then relayed the message back to Jongin, who passed it onto Kyungsoo.   


“Sehun says Junmyeon says he doesn’t know. Doesn’t want to ruin the surprise, he guesses.”   


“That’s true. Jimin will probably blab.”   


They were silent for the rest of the ceremony, and the rest went by quickly for Kyungsoo.   


He was in few photos (which he was fine with), and the only highlight for him was watching Jongdae cry while he held tightly onto Minseok.   


As they made their way to go outside, Jongdae pulled Jongin to the side, thus pulling Kyungsoo with him as their hands were tightly entwined.   


“Minnie!” Jongdae cried, pressed up against Minseok. “This is Kim Jongin! Kyungsoo’s boyfriend. You remember Kyungsoo.”   


Minseok cut Jongdae off before he could blab anymore, greeting Jongin. “I think we’ve talked before.”    


“Yeah, over the phone.” Jongin agreed.   


“And that’s Jimin and Jungkook!” Jongdae interjected, pulling Minseok away again.   


“Jimin is shorter than I thought.” Minseok mused.   


“That’s a whole other side of Jongdae I’ve never seen.” Jongin commented.   


“Yeah, it’s been awhile.” Kyungsoo laughed.   
  


  
_ -Day 382; June 12th, 2018- _

For the next week, Kim Jongdae was obsessed with showing off his engagement ring.   


He had quickly gained the reputation of sticking out his hand at people, whether they were passing or talking to him, or whether they were people he knew or not.   


When he talked to people, he had also developed the habit of holding his hand in front of his face, forcing them to see and comment about the ring.   


“Jongdae, I swear to God, if I have to see that damn ring one more time I’ll rip that damn thing off your hand, smash it, and then take a hammer to your fingers.” Baekhyun threatened.   


“Baekhyun seems to hate that ring.” Jongin told Kyungsoo one summer night, the two lounging about at Jongin’s place.    


“He’s probably mad Yixing didn’t give  _ him _ one.” Kyungsoo answered without looking up from his phone.   


“Or Chanyeol.”   


Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, biting back a laugh.   


Kyungsoo and Jongin had stayed true to their word, and hadn’t said a thing about Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s hookup. Er, hookups - to Kyungsoo’s knowledge, they never stopped.   
  


**kyungsoo93** : nini sehun and i are going to the park come with   
**kyungsoo93** : sehun is going to teach me how to skateboard   
**chanyeol_pcy** : i would but yixing is off with family today and baekhyun didn’t go so im spending the day with him   
**kyungsoo93** : really?   
**chanyeol_pcy** : yea im with him rn   
**kyungsoo93** : I mean you’re really still at it??  **  
****kyungsoo93** : you know he’s dating Yixing    
**kyungsoo93** : I don’t get why you’re doing this to yourself he’s going to leave you for Yixing again just like he did before   
**chanyeol_pcy** : new phone who dis

**kyungsoo93** : chanyeol!!!!!! **  
****kyungsoo93** : you know you can’t keep doing this either the guilt will eat you alive or xing finds out is that what you really want???? you know he sees you as a friend   
**chanyeol_pcy** : you done??   
**chanyeol_pcy** : i hope you fall off the skateboard and scrape your knee and it stings rlly bad   
**kyungsoo93** : okay that was uncalled for   



	78. [COFFEE] XVII / The One Where Junmyeon Gets Married

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; alcohol mentions and consumption; minor violence

_ -Day 393; June 23rd, 2018- _

“Okay.” Oh Sehun dropped Kim Junmyeon’s suit jacket, finally content with the angle and the hem and how straight it was. “That should be good.”   


“You sure you want to do this, Myeon?” Kim Jongdae asked, leaning against the wall and his arms folded across his chest. “You can still-”   


“I’m not running away, Dae.” Junmyeon said, exasperated. Despite Sehun’s meticulous fixes, Junmyeon still played with the cuff of his sleeve in the full-length mirror. “It’s not  _ that _ bad. It could be a lot worse. Sure, it’s loveless and she’s seeing another woman, but we could hate or hurt each other.”   


“ _ Or _ you could marry Kr-”

“Jongdae!” Do Kyungsoo, Kim Minseok, Sehun, and Kim Jongin hissed, Minseok slapping his fiancé in the arm.   


Junmyeon stiffened, bowing his head as he took leave, Sehun shooting Jongdae another look before he dashed out after him.   


“Are you  _ fucking _ kidding me?” Minseok cried, chewing Jongdae out.    


“I think we should leave.” Kyungsoo whispered.   


“Leave them to it.” Jongin muttered, grabbing Kyungsoo’s hand and pulling him out of the room.   


Kim Junmyeon was due to marry Seo Juhyun today, and the two’s families had planned a beach wedding at the end of June. Both Junmyeon and Juhyun had expressed their disinterest in it, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t really their wedding to decide.   


When the two had first learned of their arranged marriage, Juhyun had confided in Junmyeon, saying that she was still seeing the girlfriend she was banned from seeing, Choi Sooyoung.    


Junmyeon at the time was still recovering from the messy break up with his boyfriend, Kris Wu, who had left him and returned to China without a word.   


The break up had broken Junmyeon’s heart, and Sehun had spent months running after him, dragging him out of his dark apartment and getting him to eat and function like a normal adult.    


It was because of this so called depression Junmyeon had fallen into that Junmyeon’s mother, Moon Eunjung, had arranged a marriage for her son, who just happened to settle upon his ex-roommate from their final year in university.   


Despite being married in a few hours, and his soon-to-be wife still seeing her girlfriend, and his parents (especially his mother) never knowing he was in love with another man, Junmyeon stayed true.   


“We could’ve worked it out. Worked something out. We would’ve been fine.” Junmyeon lamented the night before, his third can of liquor resting on the floor by his hand as he laid on the sofa, his long legs dangling over the end and his head resting in Sehun’s lap.    


“I’ve told you before and I’ll say it again. He’s an ass. You don’t deserve him.” Sehun said sternly.   


“I don’t care. I love him.”   


“There’s better people to love, Junmyeon.” Jongin piped up, sharing the chair to the left with his boyfriend.    


“People that will love you more than he did.” Kyungsoo added.   


“I find that hard to believe.” Junmyeon muttered, reaching up and wiping at his eyes. “We could’ve worked something out though, no?”   


Sehun frowned, playing with his friend’s hair. “I don’t think so. You both are very stubborn, and you both would’ve wanted it your way or no way at all.”   


“I would be flexible. Make a compromise.”   


“That doesn’t mean he would.”   


“We’d work around it.  _ I’d _ work around it.”   


“You’re only saying that because you know the outcome otherwise.”   


“No I’m not.”   


“You are.”   


“I miss him.” Junmyeon sniffed.   


Kyungsoo reached over, handing Junmyeon a tissue as Sehun ran his hands through his hair again.   


“I know.” Sehun cooed. “I know.”   


Junmyeon fumbled around for a moment, finally resting on his can. He brought it to his lips, draining the little left of it and then tossing it over his shoulder and onto the floor with the others. “I need something stronger.”   


“You don’t want to be hungover for tomorrow, do you?” Jongin asked.   


“I want to drink so much I wind up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning.”   


“You don’t want that.” Sehun said softly. “Ask Jongdae or Jungkook. They’ll advise you otherwise.”   


“Sehunnie?”   


“Hm?”   


“Will you sleep with me tonight?”   


The other three boys exchanged looks of confusion before Sehun urged Junmyeon to elaborate. Junmyeon reached up, taking Sehun’s face in his hand and pulling him down. “I’m scared of the dark, Sehunnie.”   


Sehun wrenched himself away from Junmyeon, looking over at Kyungsoo and Jongin. “He’s drunk.” he mouthed. “Sure, whatever.” he sighed.   


“Yay.” Junmyeon said smally, a small smile spreading across his lips.   


“Why don’t you go to bed, then? You have a big day tomorrow.”    


Junmyeon held his arms up, as if he was a child wanting to be picked up. Sehun sighed again and sat him up, adjusting him so they could both stand up with Junmyeon leaning heavily onto Sehun.   


“Will you sing me a lullaby?”   


“Hell no.”   


“Why not?”   


“Because I said so.” Sehun said sternly, and with his arms wrapped around his friend, began to lug him back to his room, but quickly turned back to face Jongin and Kyungsoo. “I’ll text you.”

 

“Why are you going to text me?” Junmyeon asked. “Just talk to me.”   


“I’m talking to Kyungsoo and Jongin, dumbass.”   


“Kyungsoo and Jongin are here?” Junmyeon asked wondrously, and struggled to turn and look over the taller man’s shoulder as he was dragged away. “Did they hear everything I said?” he gave up trying to risk a glance at him, and turned back around. “Don’t tell them I’m afraid of the dark, Sehunnie. That’s a secret. Shhh.” he reached over, laying a finger on Sehun’s lips.   


“Yes, shhh. Hey! Get your finger out of my mouth!”   


“My finger was in your mouth!” Junmyeon teased. “I touched your tongue! Your tongue feels weird.” he moved his finger as he talked, and stopped to focus on the movement of his finger.   


As soon as the two were out of earshot, Kyungsoo and Jongin burst out laughing.   


“Sehun is going to have  _ so _ much fun.” Jongin managed to get out.   


“He’s in for the night of his life, really.”   


Kyungsoo was wrong.   


The night of their lives was the next night, at Junmyeon’s wedding.   


Kyungsoo, Jongin, Sehun, Minseok, Jongdae, Byun Baekhyun, Zhang Yixing, Park Chanyeol, Ashley Choi, Huang Zitao, and Xi Luhan stood clustered together, only having small, brief conversations with Junmyeon throughout the night (despite Sehun being Junmyeon’s best man).   


The night mostly went as expected- a stiff, rehearsed ceremony, a stiff, rehearsed reception and half-genuine speeches. The only genuine and entertaining one was Sehun’s, where he recalled a story where Junmyeon almost set his entire apartment on fire trying to make himself a bowl of cereal while drunk (why Junmyeon thought he needed to heat the cereal on the stove, no one is quite sure).   


“This is boring.” Jongdae complained.   


“I came all the way out here for nothing but disappointment.” Luhan agreed.   


“Well, this night just got a hell of a lot more interesting.” Chanyeol muttered. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but does that guy over there-” he gestured to the door with his finger. “look a hell of a lot like Kris?”   


The eleven of them looked to where Chanyeol had gestured, and lo-and-behold, there stood Kris Wu by the door, clad in a dark suit, a flute of champagne in hand, and looking quite lost.   


“Hey!” Sehun shouted, but was quickly cut off by Kyungsoo’s fist in the head.   


“Keep it down!” Kyungsoo hissed. “Don’t draw attention to us!”   


“Who’s Kris?” Ashley asked, and Minseok began to ramble on English so she could understand better.   


“What’s he doing here?” Tao demanded.   


“Hell if I know.” Sehun defended himself. “How’d he even know?”   


Luhan shrugged. “Don’t look at me. Not like I’ve talked to him in a year.”   


“I don’t even know him.” Jongin whispered, glancing another look back.    


“Exactly!” Baekhyun gasped, lighting up. “You don’t know him! He doesn’t know you! Go introduce yourself! Ask what he’s doing here!”   


Before anyone could protest, Baekhyun had shooed Jongin off, who stumbled towards Kris.   


“Uh, hey.” Jongin stammered. “You look confused and I was wondering if I could help you.”    


Kyungsoo grimaced, feeling the second-hand embarrassment. They should have prepared him more - Kim Jongin has no clue what he’s doing. Ever.   


Kris looked Jongin up and down, and then regarded him warily. “Do I know you?”   


Jongin shook his head furiously. “No, not at all. I’m related to the bride. I’m assuming you’re here for the groom, then?”   


Kris seemed to relax a little, and then nodded. “How do you know the bride?”   


“Cousins.” Jongin said quickly. “Second cousins. How do you know the groom?”   


“Do  _ you _ know the groom?”   


“A little.”   


“How’s he doing?”    


The group drew in a collective breath, and Jongin paused before answering. “He’s fine, I guess. Shouldn’t you know? You know the groom, don’t you?”   


“Once upon a time.”   


Jongin burst out in forced, fake laughter, clamping his hand on Kris’ shoulder. “That’s so funny!”   


“That wasn’t meant to be funny.”   


“Oh.” Jongin muttered, recovering.    


“That’s all you know about Myeon, though? What’s he been up to? How’s his job? Marriage? Health? Anything? Nothing?”   


Jongin paused for a moment again. “Like I said, I don’t know him that well. I’m assuming everything’s going well?”   


“You have to have more of an idea than that.” Kris said stubbornly. “You came from over there with his friends.” he gestured to the group, and everyone turned away from him, Chanyeol panicking and ducking to the floor and Jongdae pretending to be very interested in Minseok’s watch.    


“Them? I’m just making my rounds. Trying to get to know my new family, right?” Jongin laughed nervously, elbowing him. Kris took a step forward, meaning to make for the group, but Jongin stepped in front of them. “If you’re related to the groom, that means you’re going to be my in-law! Tell me more about you! What’s your name, stranger? I’m sorry I didn’t ask before.”   


“You know who I am.” Kris snapped, side-stepping Jongin and making for the group again.   


Again, Jongin tried to pull him away, but Kris was quickly shoved out of the way and sent flying into the hall by Sehun.   


He landed with a loud thud, and all conversation ceased and heads turned towards them, but the two boys were already out of sight.   


“Ahahaha!” Baekhyun followed Jongin’s example with the forced and fake laughter. “You’re so clumsy, Chanyeol!” he gestured to Chanyeol, who was still on the floor.   


At first, Chanyeol gaped at Baekhyun, a mix between confusion and offence. He then picked up on what Baekhyun was doing, and stood up and pretended to stumble over a few steps, crashing into a nearby table and back onto the floor.   


Jongdae also burst into laughter (this one a little more genuine), and the rest of the group warily followed. “That Chanyeol! Clumsy enough sober, but seems to have had a few too many already!”   


Baekhyun laughed louder, slapping his knee. “He’s so drunk! We better get him home!”    


The two quickly ran over and scooped a pretend-drunk Chanyeol up, dragging him out. “What a drunkard that Chanyeol is!” Jongdae shouted one last time, and the remaining seven laughed nervously with the rest of the wedding guests, running out into the hall, only to be met with an angry Sehun and Kris still dazed on the floor.   


“What the fuck are you doing here?” Sehun demanded, and Baekhyun and Jongdae had quickly changed their focus from Chanyeol to Sehun, doing their best to hold the taller man back. “Answer me!”   


“I’m sorry, you sound  _ super _ far away now.” Kris slurred as if he was drunk, holding his head with and supporting himself upright with the other.   


“Dude, how hard did you hit him?” Yixing asked.   


“Not hard enough, apparently!” Sehun cried, and the no-longer-drunk Chanyeol joined the other two boys in holding Sehun back.   


“I think he’s seeing stars.” Luhan commented.   


“I think he’s faking.” Minseok argued.    


Zitao kneeled on the floor next to Kris, moving his finger from side to side in front of his face. “Nope, not faking it.” he concluded.    


“I think he’s got a concussion.” Kyungsoo added.   


“Definitely lost a few brain cells.”    


“Like he had any to start with!” Sehun cried, thrashing out, and Jongin also joined the other three in holding Sehun back as Minseok, Tao, and Luhan scooped a dazed Kris up, lugging him off to who knows where.   


“What is going on here?” Junmyeon exclaimed, stepping out into the hall. He looked angry, and Ashley, who had barely met the man, slinked back, hiding behind Jongdae.   


“We’re playing a game!” Baekhyun cried. “It’s called ‘How Many People Does It Take To Hold Oh Sehun Down’?”   


Chanyeol, Jongdae, and Jongin nodded in agreement, and Sehun thrashed about again, and Kyungsoo grabbed ahold of his legs, sinking to the floor.   


“Guess it takes five!” Kyungsoo told him, and Junmyeon sighed.   


“Play this somewhere else. Not in the middle of my wedding. Please.”   


“Not like you wanted this wedding in the first place.” Jongdae muttered, releasing Sehun.   


“That doesn’t matter.” Junmyeon snapped. “Tonight isn’t about me. It’s about Juhyun looking pretty and my mother getting what she wants, and you guys aren’t ruining this for them. You  _ especially _ should know that.” he jabbed a finger into Sehun’s chest. “And what was that whole thing about Chanyeol being drunk?” Junmyeon continued, and Chanyeol flopped back down to the floor.   


“He’s drunk, can’t you see!” Baekhyun laughed nervously, gesturing to the man on the floor.   


“He’s not drunk, there’s not enough alcohol in here to get drunk off of. Especially with his tolerance.  _ I _ have a lower tolerance and I’ve been drinking all night and I’m barely tipsy.”   


“Drank a lot beforehand.” Ashley chimed in.

He looked at her, confused, and Sehun repeated what she said.   


“He was sober during the ceremony.” Junmyeon argued.   


Jongdae shrugged. “Maybe he was, maybe he wasn’t. Who knows? Only Chanyeol, and right now he looks too drunk to speak.”   


“I think he’s so drunk he needs his stomach pumped!” Baekhyun cried, and they all rushed forward to pick and drag Chanyeol off.   


“Bye bye!” Fake-drunk Chanyeol waved as they turned the corner away from a confused Junmyeon. 


	79. [COOFFEE] XVIII / Get In Loser, We're Going Shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Alcohol consumption

_ -Day 396; June 26th, 2018- _

As the summer heat blew in, things returned to normal, settling into the well-known routine yet bringing in new opportunities.   


Despite his obsession with his ring, Kim Jongdae landed a job in Greece, and after Junmyeon’s wedding he and Minseok packed their things and went off for the summer, due to return in a few months time. Kyungsoo didn’t hear from them too often, but he did know that the wedding planning was going extremely well one moment and the next they were ignoring each other like children.   


Lee Jooeun had also somehow landed herself a job  _ and _ graduated, despite failing her entire course. Jongdae was convinced it was because her teacher didn’t want her again next year and sent her on her way. She had also landed herself a boyfriend, and the messages between her and Jongdae were photos of his ring and her boyfriend.   


Xi Luhan returned to Korea for Junmyeon’s wedding, and has happy to announce the film he had been working on was premiering soon, and that he would secure all his friends (and their friends) the best tickets he could. The movie was titled ‘ _ Anhedonia _ ’, and was about an African-American woman artist who fell in love with a Chinese girl she met at one of her exhibitions.   


Oh Sehun had spent the summer relaxing when he wasn’t chasing after Junmyeon. Kyungsoo didn’t know what exactly he was doing the majority of the time, but Sehun insisted it was helping Junmyeon and his happiness and sanity.   


Huang Zitao abandoned ship after Junmyeon’s wedding, going back to China. He said before he left he was unsure if he was going to be able to come back next year to finish out his final year.   


Jeon Jungkook and Park Jimin had gotten up to nothing but trouble, the details unbeknownst to Kyungsoo, but he did know both boys were now banned from a few stores and Jungkook almost got arrested. Jimin declared that he had finally reached enlightenment and that there was nothing else this cruel world could teach him and that he was dropping out of school after watching the movie of the musical  _ RENT _ .    


Jung Hoseok auditioned for a play at a theatre in Seoul, and managed to land the lead role. All summer long, his friends were met with the ‘sorry I have rehearsal’ text whenever they asked to hang out, and towards the end they were bombarded with ‘come see my show’ ‘here are the dates and ticket prices’.    


Byun Baekhyun continued seeing Park Chanyeol behind Zhang Yixing’s back, and Yixing never once clued in.    


It was a low summer for all three - Chanyeol had agreed to move in with Ashley Choi and return to Canada with her by the time September rolled around.    


Byun Baekhyun started working at a hospital, working nights (at least, that’s what he told Yixing). Zhang Yixing had accepted a position to teach English literature at a local high school, and both boys had moved in together.   


“I wish you didn’t have to work nights.” Yixing told him one evening, standing by the door to see his boyfriend off. “I barely get to see you anymore.”   


“Silly goose, I’m here all day.” Baekhyun replied flimsily.   


“You sleep all day.”   


“When else am I supposed to?”   


“At night like normal people, Baekhyun. Will you at least  _ try _ to get moved to the day shift?”   


“I’ve told you Yixing, I-”

 

“I know, I know.” Yixing cut him off, leaning over and kissing his cheek. “Have a good night.”    


Do Kyungsoo took his position back at Abbiocco Café along with Shin Hyejeong. He lived at home over the summer, but his parents said it was a part time deal, as he did spend the other half of his time at Jongin’s.    


One day, leaving work, Kyungsoo was met with Jongin’s car horn, and his boyfriend’s head sticking out the window. “Get in loser, we’re going shopping!”   


Climbing into the car, Kyungsoo sighed. “I should never have let them show that movie to you.”   


“As Jimin said, I have reached enlightenment.” Jongin said as he pulled out.   


“Are we really going shopping?”   


“No, I just said that. Where we’re going is a surprise.”   


“Tell me.”   


“No. That ruins the point of a  _ surprise _ .”   


“Does it look like I care?”   


“No, but I do.”    


Kyungsoo sighed, defeated, and let his boyfriend drive out of town and back into a parking spot, overlooking the river and the setting sun.   


“Remember this?” Jongin asked, stalling the engine and crawling into the backseat.   


He reached under the driver’s seat, revealing a bottle of tequila as he slid over the backseat, popping open the trunk. “You coming or not?”   


Kyungsoo smiled, clambering over the seats and settling into the back of the car against his boyfriend.   


“You know, it’s been a year since we did this.”   


“Really?” Kyungsoo asked, twisting the top off of the bottle.   


Jongin laughed. “Well, not exactly. We’re a few days off, and this is about as close as I could get with your work schedule and Junmyeon’s wedding.”   


“I don’t mind.” Kyungsoo muttered, settling back against his boyfriend. “I just like being with you.”   


Jongin kissed the top of his head. “I do, too. Even if we don’t say or do anything. My favourite is sitting on opposite ends of the sofa, ignoring each other on our phones.”   


Kyungsoo hit him lightly in the arm. “Not when we cuddle?”   


Jongin shook his head. “Nah, your phone gets in the way of my phone.”   


Kyungsoo shot the boy a look, who just laughed and leaned in, kissing him. “Happy anniversary, babe.”


	80. [COOFFEE] XIX / Finale, Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language

_-Day 420; July 20th, 2018-_

**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : jungkookieeeeee   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : you’re so cute   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : #prouddad   
**chocchipkookies** : you’re not my dad   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : you’ve grown up so fast   
**oohsehunnie** : I feel like I should read that text through tears   
**baekthosebyuns** : you should   
**baekthosebyuns** : he is crying   
_/baekthosebyuns sent a photo/_   
**baekthosebyuns** : anyways sigh that school is gonna be so boring without us   
**oohsehunnie** : um excuse me I still go to that school   
**baekthosebyuns** : exactly

**b** **aekthosebyuns** : so boring   
**chocchipkookies** : at this rate you all will be in the school anyways trying to reinforce the restraining order I’m about to get on Yixing   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : *gasp* you would never   
**chocchipkookies** : try me bitch   
**oohsehunnie** : anyways I was thinking that I might just drop out anyways   
_/kim junmyeon. has logged on/_   
**kim junmyeon.** : YOU WILL DO NOTHING OF THE SORT

**kim junmyeon.** : I WILL PERSONALLY BEAT YOUR ASS   
**oohsehunnie** : an honour

**baekthosebyuns** : pFFT WHAT YOU GONNA DO??? Spray him with a water gun????   
**kim junmyeon.** : fine I’ll get Juhyun to do it   
**junghobihoseok** : I don’t think I’ve ever met the woman yet I’m scared to call her juhyun

_/not minseok✨ has logged on/_   
**not minseok✨** : hey baekkie   
**baekthosebyuns** : yo   
**not minseok✨** : care to explain what yixing’s car is doing in my driveway???

_/not minseok✨ sent a photo/_   
**not minseok✨** : and jongins????   
**baekthosebyuns** : :)   
**baekthosebyuns** : open for a surprise   
**not minseok✨** : what are you doing at my house   
**not minseok✨** : I GAVE YOU THAT KEY FOR EMERGENCIES   
**baekthosbyuns** : it was an emergency   
**not minseok✨** : you were out of doritos?? -the real misneok

**baekthosebyuns** : :( we missed you   
_/kyungsoo93 and jonginini have logged on/_   
**kyungsoo93** : and we feel like you two are about to rip each other apart at any moment   
_/not jongdae🌈 has logged on/_

**not jongdae🌈** : TELL THIS BITCHASS HOE WE ARE NOT HAVING BLUE TABLECLOTHS WHAT THE FUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKK   
**oohsehunnie** : I feel sick just thinking of it   
**oohsehunnie** : OH OH!!!   
**oohsehunnie** : I should colour coordinate your wedding

**not minseok✨** : NO   
**not jongdae🌈** : NO   
**kyungsoo93** : NO   
**jonginini** : NO   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : NO   
**chocchipkookies** : NO   
**oohsehunnie** : well fuck you guys too

**kim junmyeon.** : he did a good job with mine :(   
**baekthosebyuns** : those were the ugliest effing flowers I have ever seen   
**kim junmyeon.** : Juhyun pocked those out   
**baekthosebyuns** : showers*   
**baekthosebyuns** : did I say flowers??? hahahaha autocorrect   
**chocchipkookies** : why are there showers at a wedding   
**baekthosebyuns** : that’s the only thing I could think of that rhymes with flowers okay shut your whore mouth before I beat your bitchass   
**zhxngyixingicorn🦄** : THAT IS NO WAY TO TALK TO MY SON LIKE THAT   
**baekthosebyuns** : is that   
**baekthosebyuns** : is that proper???   
**not jongdae🌈** : fuck if I know   
**kyungsoo93** : anyways Sehunnie you were saying you wanted to drop out???   
**oohsehunnie** : yea there’s nothing this cruel world can teach me anymore   
**kyungsoo93** : I feel like I’m more disappointed on the fact that I was expecting a serious answer rather than an extremely egotistical one.   
**oohsehunnie** : idk what that means but thanks   
  
   

Despite his wishes, Oh Sehun did not drop out of university, and managed to graduate top of the class. A year later, he publicly released his first line, ‘Eau D’Oh Volume 4’. Kim Jongin managed to sell the original glow in the dark shirt from the second volume for $250,000. Sehun hit large success, and went on to create lines for Tokyo, Milan, New York, and Paris fashion weeks. His fashion lines eventually evolved into makeup lines, and his ultimate goal is to be featured in London Fashion Week.  
   

“It’s like DiCaprio and the Oscars.” Jung Hoseok told him one day. “You deserve it, and at this point they’re not giving it to you just for the laughs.”  
   

Sehun ended up marrying a woman named Eun, who is currently expecting.  
   

Kim Jongdae and Kim Minseok didn’t kill each other and did get married, and it was a thousand times better than Kim Junmyeon’s (at least that’s what Byun Baekhyun said in his speech) and Park Chanyeol didn’t get drunk. They ended up adopting a baby a girl two years later whom they named Yoojoo. They spend most of their time in Korea, but spend the summers in Greece and Italy. Yoojoo has learned to speak Korean, English, Greek, and Italian, and Baekhyun says she will have to take over Minseok’s job soon.  
   

Kim Junmyeon and Seo Juhyun ended up having a pair of twins, Eunra and Eunjoon. However, by the time the twins turned five, they filed for divorce and Juhyun left the country to live in France with her new wife, Choi Sooyoung. Junmyeon brings the twins out during the summers and Juhyun visits during the Christmas holidays. Sehun still continues to help him as best and as most as he can.   
   

Xi Luhan hit major success with his movie ‘Anhedonia’, and has gone on to create another hit, ‘Losel’, and ‘Ikigai’ is currently in production. His movies have played in big screens worldwide and premiered at numerous film festivals, and are known for being extremely inclusive and open-minded. Luhan married a woman named Liling.  
   

Baekhyun began to work at a clinic, where he became head doctor. After Chanyeol went back to Canada with Ashley Choi, Baekhyun ended their affair and married Yixing, who works at a secondary school teaching English literature. He is popular among his students, and Baekhyun is known for trying to sit in on classes when he’s not working the same hours.  
   

Chanyeol returned to Canada, where he left Ashley and focused on his career. He hit mild success, landing himself a record deal, but is more known for the songs he writes and sells off to others than the ones he writes for himself. He’s found a fiancée who doesn’t know about his past with Baekhyun, but when Chanyeol visits for Christmas holidays he ends up hooking up with Baekhyun anyways.  
   

Huang Zitao was unable to return to Korea for his final year, but graduated anyways. He works as a neuroscientist and surgeon. He’s still single, still a virgin, but richer than Park Chanyeol. According to him, that last fact is the only thing that really matters.  
   

Jung Hoseok went on to become a renowned musical actor in Korea, appearing in multiple musicals as original and revived roles, and has performed on _Broadway_ once. He’s also appeared in a few movies and dramas, some as cameos, some as lead and some as extra roles.   
   

Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook never graduated university, as in their fourth year they were both killed in a car accident. Everyone attended the funeral, and Min Yoongi went on to create a grief help foundation in their memories. He also completed the ‘mischief managed’ tattoos.  
   

Kris Wu split his time between Canada and China, still working in Criminology and Forensics. He had tried to rekindle with Junmyeon a few times, but was pushed away at each one. He’s had a few casual relationships since then, but nothing huge. He doesn’t talk to Junmyeon anymore, but has minor communication with Luhan and Chanyeol.  
   

Do Kyungsoo married Kim Jongin, and the two moved in together the year after they graduated. Jongin, who works as an ecologist, is known to bring an array of animals home, despite Kyungsoo’s allergies and protests. The two currently own three dogs, a cat, a snake, five fish, two birds, and temporarily owned a goat, but Kyungsoo wouldn’t let it set foot in the house.  
  

Kyungsoo works as a lawyer, who gained minor fame from covering a celebrity plagiarism case. Jongin wants a child, but Kyungsoo claims Jongin can barely take care of himself, let alone a child, and the house is too crowded with the many animals Jongin brings home.


	81. [COFFEE] XX / Five Years Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; implied sexual references; adultery

_ -Day 2551; May 21st, 2023- _

**oohsehunnie** : you all gotta come to my house for dinner    
**oohsehunnie** : 21st???   
**kim junmyeon.** : which one   
**oohsehunnie** : Korea ofc    
**not minseok✨** : sorry min yoojoo and i are in Italy    
**luluhanxi7** : can’t   
**luluhanxi7** : in China   
**chanyeol_pcy** : in Canada :)   
**doritao** : china    
**junghobihoseok** : New York   
**oohsehunnie** : I’ll fly you all out   
**baekthosebyuns** : will you fly us out?? :)   
**oohsehunnie** : ?? where are you ??   
**baekthosebyuns** : … sokcho    
**oohsehunnie** : I’ll send someone to pick you up 

**baekthosebyuns** : !!   
**baekthosebyuns** : I’m gonna bang Yixing in it    
**oohsehunnie** : you can drive yourself    
**junghobihoseok** : you’re cancelled   
**junghobihoseok** : anyways sorry still can’t come have shows 20-25   
**baekthosebyuns** : Boo you whore   
**chanyeol_pcy** : aw sehunnie you don’t have to do that ^^   
**doritao** : uh hell yea he does I’ll send you my info    
**oohsehunnie** : k    
**kim junmyeon.** : the twins are gonna have to come tho is that okay??   
**oohsehunnie** : YES BRING YOUR KIDS WIVES HUSBANDS EVERYONE   
**oohsehunnie** : ESP YOU DAE I HAVENT SEEN YOOJOO SINCE SHE WAS A BABY   
**not minseok✨** : she is still a baby

**chanyeol_pcy** : almost three years old is not a baby   
**not minseok✨** : 30 months!! not even   
**chanyeol_pcy** : like I said   
**chanyeol_pcy** : almost three years old   
**kim junmyeon.** : sigh i remember when the twins were three    
**kim junmyeon.** : they grow up so fast 😭😭   
**not minseok✨** : fck ikr 😭😭   
**not minseok✨** : !! she can count to twenty now !!    
**kim junmyeon.** : THATS SO PRECIOUS 

**baekthosebyuns** : in what language she speaks like 7

**not minseok✨** : 20 in korean and English and 10 in Italian and greek   
**chanyeol_pcy** : thats better than me I can’t count past 10 in korean    
**luluhanxi7** : whats 21 then   
**chanyeol_pcy** : ??   
**chanyeol_pcy** : a girl group???   
**kyungsoo93** : well   
**kyungsoo93** : he’s not wrong    
  
  


Do Kyungsoo and Do Jongin weren’t the first ones to arrive at Oh Sehun’s, but they weren’t the last ones, either.   


By the time they stepped foot in the door, removing their wet shoes from the rain, Byun-Zhang Baekhyun, Byun-Zhang Yixing, Huang Zitao, Xi Luhan, and Park Chanyeol were all scattered about the kitchen, Chanyeol’s giant hands wrapped around a giant mug of coffee.   


Two women sat on a sofa nearby, chatting amongst themselves.   


The front foyer of Sehun’s home was wide, ‘large enough to fit an elephant’ Jongin later commented. There was a small flight of stairs leading up to a landing, which contained a living room opening up to a dining table and kitchen. There was another flight of stairs that led downwards, and off the kitchen was a hallway.   


“Sehunnie!” Baekhyun cried upon seeing the two enter. “Kyungsoo and Nini are here!”    


Chanyeol raised his hand, flipping the two off, and Kyungsoo immediately returned the gesture as he and his husband made their way up to the landing.   


Sehun came skidding out of the hallway, his shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbow and a large scratch tracing his right arm. “Kyungsoo, Nini, nice to see you.” he greeted, slightly out of breath. “This is my wife, Eun-” he gestured to one of the women on the couch, who greeted them. “She’s five months pregnant, so please be careful. I’ll be right back - Chanyeol has snacks if you’re hungry.”   


Sehun darted back down the hall as Kyungsoo and Jongin sat down at the table near Luhan and Tao, and Chanyeol slid the bowl of snacks across the table to Jongin.    


“None for you, Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol told him, and Kyungsoo frowned.   


“Fuck you.”    


“Language!” Sehun shouted from down the hall. “There’s kids coming!”    


“But there’s no kids here yet.” Chanyeol argued.   


“I don’t care. Knowing you, you’ll let one slip anyways.”   


Chanyeol sulked, not having a defense for himself.   


“Anyways,” Luhan piped up, clearing his throat. “That’s my wife, Liling.” He, too, gestured over to the ladies on the sofa. “She doesn’t speak any Korean.”   


“I remember that from the wedding.” Jongin said.   


“Yeah, sorry I couldn't make it to that.” Kyungsoo apologized.    


“Don’t worry about it.” Luhan waved him off. “What have you two been up to? It seems like so long since I’ve seen you.”   


“Not a lot, truthfully.” Kyungsoo mused.   


“We’re getting a hamster!” Jongin cheered. “I’m gonna name it Franklin.”   


“We’re not getting a hamster.” Kyungsoo sighed.   


“Why Franklin?” Yixing asked.   


“Because that’s what popped in my head.”   


“Jongin has this thing where he keeps bringing all these animals home.” Kyungsoo said. “One time, he tried to bring home a goat. I’m scared that one day, he’s going to bring home like, a tiger or something.”   


“I had a ferret when I was younger.” Chanyeol commented. “But then it died.”   


“You look like a ferret.” Tao shot, and Chanyeol sulked again.    


Before anyone else could say anything, the door opened again, and in stepped Kim Minseok and Kim Jongdae. Jongdae held a small child in his arms, and Minseok had a bag slung over his shoulder.   


“I told you, Min, that she should’ve worn the boots.” Jongdae set the child down on her feet, and she sank to the floor where Minseok pulled her small sneakers off.   


“It’s not like she’s going to be in the rain long enough for her shoes to soak through.”    


“Still, the boots are cute, Min. Matches the jacket.” Jongdae leaned over, carefully taking her arms out of the jacket.   


“Sehunnie!” Baekhyun called. “Minseok and DaeDae are here!”   


“Are you going to do that every time?” Tao asked, exasperated, and Baekhyun nodded.   


Sehun came back out of the hall, a large blue bin in hands. “Hey.” he greeted, setting the bin down as they made their way up to meet the others on the landing. “This is my wife, Eun, and Luhan’s, Liling. She doesn’t speak any Korean.”   


“Chinese?” Minseok asked, setting his daughter down on her feet. Liling replied excitedly, and the two babbled for a moment.   


“Anyways,” Sehun said, resting his hand on the plastic bin. “This is a bin of toys I had from when Junmyeon’s kids were about her age. They’re a little old, but…”   


“No, no.” Jongdae said quickly, kneeling down beside Yoojoo. “They’re fine. Thank you.”   


He dug into the bin, pulling out a few toys and games for her. After she seemed settled, absorbed enough in the game herself, Jongdae got up, meeting Minseok and the others at the table.   


“Christ, she’s gotten big.” Chanyeol muttered.    


“It’s been years since we’ve seen you.” Jongdae admitted. “It’s weird seeing you without the dyed hair.”   


Chanyeol laughed, shaking his hand through his now natural dark hair. “Yeah, I let it grow back out a while ago.”   


“It looks nice.” Baekhyun said.   


“Snacks?” Jongin asked, pushing the bowl towards them, and Jongdae grabbed a handful.   


“I haven’t eaten all day.”   


“That’s a lie.” Minseok said. “I made you breakfast.”   


“I mean some  _ real _ food, Min.”   


Minseok slapped his arm, and Tao laughed.   


“You guys haven’t changed a bit.”   


“You don’t seem like you have, either.”   


“Have any of us, really?”   


Luhan slammed his hands down on the table, calling attention to himself. “Minseok. Jongdae. Tell me something. Something interesting. All I’ve been able to get out of these lameos is work. You have a child - you have to have at least  _ one _ interesting story.”   


“She’s starting to learn to throw things, and threw a wooden block square in Jongdae’s face once.” Minseok said.   


They laughed at that. “Are you okay, though?” Baekhyun asked, and Jongdae nodded.   


“You can still kinda see the scar it left on my nose.” Baekhyun leaned over, trying to see the spot Jongdae gestured to.   


“Baekhyun’s started doing this thing where he’ll come sit in on my classes.” Yixing started, Baekhyun settling back into his lap. “He one time brought _McDonald’s_ and made snarky comments the entire class about the book.”   


“To be fair,” Baekhyun defended, “ _ Pride and Prejudice _ is so boring your students would’ve fallen asleep if it wasn’t for me.”   


“Because of you, they’ve now seen a video of a live birth and know all my secrets.”   


“I’m teaching them what’s important.”   


“My secrets aren’t important.”   


“Oh my gosh, spill the secrets.” Tao cheered.   


“One time, Yixing-” Baekhyun was cut off with Yixing’s hand clamped over his mouth.   


“There are some things that don’t need to be said, honey.” Yixing said, and then his face contorted into confusion. “Did you just lick my hand?” Baekhyun nodded behind Yixing’s hand, and then Yixing wrenched his hand away, shaking it. “Did you just bite me? What the hell is wrong with you?”   


“I think an easier question is what’s  _ not _ wrong with me.”   


“I second that.” Chanyeol chimed in.   


“I think we all do.” Kyungsoo agreed.   


“Anyways, I have a story for you Lu.” Sehun cut in, clearing his throat and drawing all attention to him. “One time, I was in Amsterdam-”    


“I’ve heard this story already.” Luhan whined.   


“I haven’t.” Tao argued.   


“If it’s the same Amsterdam story I’ve heard, you don’t want to.” Jongdae whispered.   


Before they could hear what happened in Amsterdam the door opened again, revealing Kim Junmyeon, one of his large hands wrapped around those of two small children.   


“Shoes off. Stay on the mat.” he told them.   


The boy sunk to the floor, carefully untying his laces, and the girl squealed, running off.   


“Uncle Sehunnie!” she cried, but before she could a few steps off the mat, Junmyeon leaned over and picked her up, placing her back onto the mat.   


“Shoes off, and then you can go.” he repeated, and she quickly kicked off her shoes, and then ran up the stairs to the landing, attaching herself to Sehun’s leg.   


Junmyeon moved his children’s shoes to the side, and after trying to get his son to walk up the stairs on his own for a moment, he gave up, scooping the boy up into his arms.   


Junmyeon was quickly introduced to Liling and greeted by the other men, and his daughter Eunra had finally detached herself from Sehun and had made her way over to the box of old toys and Yoojoo.   


“Who are you?” she demanded, and the stroke of fear within Junmyeon was so obvious Jung Hoseok in New York could tell.   


“Yoojoo.” the smaller girl answered, dropping the toy in her hand.   


“These are my toys.” she said, sticking her hand into the box. “I’ll show you the good ones, because Eunjoon broke a lot.” she sat down, pushing the puzzle out of the way and dumping a smaller box of dolls out on the floor.   


“Oh my gosh.” Junmyeon sighed, laughing and turning to Minseok. “I thought she was going to bully her or something.”   


Minseok waved him off. “Yoojoo‘s good. She gets along well.”   


“Eunra has a tendency to be a little… _ over the top _ at times. She gets that from her mom.”   


They laughed at that, and Junmyeon tried to set his son, Eunjoon, down, telling him to go play with the girls, but he again refused, and Junmyeon again gave up and picked him back up.   


“You don’t even want to say hi?” Sehun asked, and Eunjoon peeked at him from behind Junmyeon’s shoulder. He shook his head.    


“He’s not used to so many people being here.” Junmyeon said.   


“Is he usually pretty shy?” Tao asked, and Junmyeon nodded.   


“He just needs a minute to get used to it.”   


“The complete opposite of Eunra - it’s an interesting dynamic.” Sehun commented.   


“Not when you’re the parent.” Junmyeon said quietly.   


Again, they were all sat around the table, and Sehun had quickly launched into some story about an Englishman he had met while in Rome.   


Eunjoon refused to leave his father, and Eunra had pushed a half-filled colouring book and a few crayons his way before going back and playing dolls with Yoojoo, and then crying loudly when a doll’s head popped off.   


While Baekhyun and Yixing argued over how best to serve dinner to everyone (even though Sehun had already started), there was a knock at the door that almost went unheard if not for Eunra proclaiming loudly that there was someone there.   


“We’re not expecting anyone else.” Sehun frowned, stepping over the fold-out children’s table Jongdae was struggling to unfold.   


“It’s probably a telemarketer.” Tao called down as Sehun stood in front of the door.   


“You’re the one with a PhD, right?” Minseok asked him. Tao nodded. “Say that again, and really think about what you just said.”   


Shrugging off Tao’s confusion, Sehun opened the door, revealing a sopping wet Kris Wu.    


“Sorry I’m late. Traffic was bad.”   


“What did I tell you about-” Sehun started, ready to shut the door on him, but was quickly cut off by an excited Luhan.   


“Kristopher!” he shouted.   


“You  _ invited _ him?” Sehun demanded, whirling around to face him.   


Luhan nodded, a confused expression plastered on his face. “You said everyone.”   


“That is true.” Kyungsoo frowned. “You did say  _ everyone _ .”   


“ _ Everyone _ does not include  _ him _ !” Sehun exclaimed.   


“Let him in.” Eun demanded. “You can’t leave him out in the rain.”   


Begrudgingly, Sehun stepped aside, allowing Kris in, who was quickly greeted with a towel by Eun.   


Jongin made his way forward, and Kyungsoo grabbed his wrist, holding him back.   


“What are you doing?” Kyungsoo asked.   


“I haven’t met him yet.” Jongin said, and Kyungsoo let go of his wrist.   


“I guess you haven’t had the chance.”   


“ _ ‘Cause he’s been kickin’ ass as the ambassador to France. _ ” Chanyeol sang under his breath.   


“Chanyeol, shut up.”    


“Get him something to eat.” Eun continued to order her husband around, despite his obvious disapproval.   


“Daddy, it’s not nice to stare.” Eunra told Junmyeon.   


“Sorry.” he muttered, taking a deep breath and going back to scooping food onto paper plates for the twins next to Minseok.   


“I’m just trying to watch out for Junmyeon.” Sehun grumbled.   


“It’s fine. We’re always nice to people, even if we don’t like them, right?” Junmyeon’s comment was directed at his children, as he placed the two plates on the now unfolded kid’s table in front of them.   


“It’s cool.” Kris coughed. “I’m not here for you, anyways.”   


“ _ I know my sister like I know my own mind, you will never find- _ ”    


“Chanyeol,  _ shut. Up _ .” Kyungsoo hissed again, as Baekhyun leaned in front of him, his phone set to record.   


Junmyeon froze for a second, and then straightened back up. “It’s fine.” Junmyeon repeated. “I’m married now, anyways.”   


“Tao just told me earlier you were getting a divorce.” Yixing’s voice cut through, and the already pretty silent house fell completely silent. An eerie silence, the type that stays and lingers.   


“Yixing!” Baekhyun hissed, shooting his husband a pointed glare.   


Junmyeon froze again. “How’d you know?” he asked, taken aback.   


“Tao told me.” he quickly pointed to the other boy.   


“I heard it from Luhan!” Tao shouted, again shifting the blame.   


“I heard it from Sehun!”   


“Sehun?” Junmyeon asked carefully.   


“I told you not to tell.” Sehun said through gritted teeth.   


“I said the same thing to Tao but look where that got us!” Luhan exclaimed.    


“You didn’t tell me?” Baekhyun frowned.   


“I just found out.” Yixing defended. “I was going to.”   


“Yixing!” Luhan exclaimed. “Stop! Talking!”   


“It’s fine.” Junmyeon reiterated. “I had to tell you all at some point, no? Honestly, this makes it a heck of a lot easier for me.”    


“Why?” Chanyeol asked, earning himself a slap on the arm from Kyungsoo.   


Junmyeon paused a moment. “Juhyun’s moving to France to marry Sooyoung.”   


“Oh.” Baekhyun muttered.   


The room was silent again.   


“Do the kids know?” Minseok whispered, and Junmyeon nodded.   


“I’m going to have two mommies!” Eunra cheered, holding up three fingers.   


“Two, honey, two.” Junmyeon said softly, gently putting one of her fingers down.    


Eventually the awkwardness faded away and the normalcy filtered back in, and the rest of dinner went as normal as their normal was - Tao choking while Sehun and Luhan just laughed at him, Chanyeol being worried he was going to have an allergic reaction to something (although he had no food allergies), Baekhyun eating off of everyone’s plate and finishing up the leftovers.   


Despite that, there was still an underlying tense air. It was in the way Junmyeon sat on the complete opposite side of the table than Kris, the way Chanyeol and Baekhyun shot each other small side glances, the way Tao kept kicking Luhan under the table for laughing while he almost died.   


“Where’d Baekkie go?” Yixing asked after dinner, helping wash up the dishes.   


“He told me something about exploring.” Jongdae tossed over his shoulder as he and Minseok fiddled with the coffee pot, Minseok slapping Jongdae’s hand away. “He’s probably upstairs.”   


While Yixing made his way up the stairs, Junmyeon and Kris stood in the hall.   


Junmyeon knew it wasn’t Kris’ intentions, and knew that that feeling in his stomach was wrong, but Junmyeon couldn’t help but feel it and cornered. He knew he should be able to have a conversation with the man, and that the mention of his name didn’t mean the end of the world.    


Yet here he was, standing on the opposite side of the small hall from the man he deemed had ruined his life.   


“Look, Junmyeon.” Kris had started. Junmyeon tried his best to listen to him, hear him out, but he already found himself shutting down everything Kris was saying. “I know you’ve moved on, and don’t really want to talk about it, let alone me, but I want you to know that I don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable or awkward or anything. I-”    


“Why?” Junmyeon cut in.   


“What?”   


“Why? Why’d you leave? Why’d you do it? Why didn’t you tell me?”   


Kris looked as if Junmyeon had just given him a few days time limit do accomplish world peace. “I…I don’t…I don’t have a good answer for you, Junmyeon.”   


Junmyeon frowned. “What hurts Kris is that you didn’t even try. I didn’t care that you went back. We could’ve worked that out and worked around it. But you didn’t even try.”   


“I know. I’m sorry.”   


“I don’t really want to hear it.”   


“Anyways, I think you owe me an explanation on Seohyun.”   


“I don’t owe you anything.”   


“That shade.”   


Junmyeon sighed, trying to cover a laugh. Despite how much they had grown and changed (quite literally, Junmyeon would’ve sworn that Kris had somehow grown at least a little bit since he last saw him), Junmyeon still saw the same Kris he had met and fallen in love with almost seven years ago. “I’ll only explain it to you because I want one from you. Basically, it all really happened quite fast after you left. My mother arranged a marriage for me - turns out she wasn’t joking - who happened to be Seo Juhyun.   


“Her parents arranged a marriage for her because they found out she was dating Choi Sooyoung. We ended up marrying about a year later and had the twins not too long after.    


“Juhyun never stopped seeing Sooyoung. I don’t blame her. It’s not like it was cheating or like I actually romantically loved her or anything. Sure, I love her as a friend and a mother and a partner, but not like ‘love of my life’ kind of love. Not the way she loves Sooyoung.”   


“Interesting.” Kris mused, and Junmyeon stared at him, wide-eyed and mouth agape.   


“That’s it?” he demanded. “You’re the one who asked, and that’s all you have to say?”   


Kris shrugged. “You pretty much answered all my questions.”   


“You’re so frustrating, Kris.”   


“Not the first time I’ve heard those words come out of your mouth.” Kris laughed, which earned him a pointed glare from his former flame. He kept laughing, and reached towards him, meaning to pull him in, but Junmyeon backed away.   


However, there wasn’t anywhere to back away to, and Junmyeon fell through the slightly open bathroom door, falling to the floor.   


Embarrassed and flustered, he quickly picked himself up, but was once again frozen at the sight before him.   


There was Byun-Zhang Baekhyun, seated on Oh Sehun’s Seoul house bathroom counter, Park Chanyeol’s lips pressed against him.   


“My God!” Kris cried, also in full view of the scene. “Aren’t you  _ married _ Baekhyun? To  _ Yixing _ ?”   


Seemingly oblivious to the two before now, Baekhyun and Chanyeol ripped away, their expressions reading shock, anger, and guilt.   


“Kim Junmyeon, I swear to fucking God, if you tell a fucking soul I’ll fuck you up-”    


“Baekhyun!” Two voices exclaimed at the same time.   


The first was Park Chanyeol, holding the smaller boy back.   


The second was Byun-Zhang Yixing, who came skidding down the hall at the sound of his missing husband’s name being mentioned.   


Only one person repeated the name again, the one who seemed nauseous and light-headed and gripped the doorframe of the bathroom as if to stop himself from passing out.   


“Baekhyun?” Yixing asked tenderly. “Wha-what’s going on?”   


Any bit of malice Baekhyun just showed towards Junmyeon instantly melted away, instantly softening and pushing away from Chanyeol.   


“Yixing please!” Baekhyun begged, his tone becoming frantic and desperate.    


“I’m not doing this again, Baekhyun.” Yixing said sternly, and he quickly collected himself, thanking Sehun and Eun before leaving.   


“Yixing!” Baekhyun yelled after him again, running after him and stepping over children’s toys and out into the rain.   


The others looked on from the window, watching a barefoot Baekhyun stand out in the rain, Yixing shielding his eyes. Baekhyun’s back was to them, yet they could still see the pleading and begging and desperation from there.   


“I’m serious, Baekhyun.” Yixing spat. “I can’t keep doing this with you! When will it be enough for you? When will  _ I _ be enough for you?”   


“You are!” Baekhyun insisted. “Yixing, please! Just hear me out!”   


“That’s what you said last time! And the time before that! Why should I believe you now?”   


“Because you love me. Because you did the other two times. Because that’s what love is.”   


“Love isn’t constantly cheating on me, Baekhyun! And you’re damn right I love you, and I wish I didn’t! You can’t keep doing this to me over and over and over again. I married  _ you _ , Baekkie. And you married  _ me _ . Not Chanyeol, not Jongdae, not anyone else!”   


“I never fucked Jongdae.” Baekhyun muttered, hanging his head like a small child being scolded.   


“You might as well! Hell, add Kyungsoo and Jongin while you’re at it!”   


“Yixing please. Just listen to me. I’m sorry.” both boys were unsure if the streaks streaming down Baekhyun’s face were the rain or his tears.   


“You shouldn’t be so upset about this.” Yixing said softly, and Baekhyun looked up hopefully, hoping to find the soft, understanding, supportive man he had married. “You’re not the one who’s heart is being broken over and over again by you.” Baekhyun deflated, knowing it was going to take more work to have Yixing come around this time.   


“I have a problem, I know!”   


“Congratulations! You’re officially the last person on this fucking planet to know!”   


“I’ll fix it Yixing, I swear. I-I’ll go to therapy!”   


“You’re already in therapy, Baekhyun.”   


“I’ll-I’ll…I’ll…”   


“You don’t need therapy, Baekhyun. You don’t need shit. What you need is to stop acting out because of your problems and just  _ stop _ . It’s that easy. Just  _ don’t _ .” Baekhyun didn’t have a plea or answer to that. “How long, Baekhyun?”   


“I never stopped.” Baekhyun said softly.   


“Even after last time? Even after all that? Even after marrying me?”   


Avoiding eye contact, Baekhyun nodded. “I’m sorry.”   


“Have Chanyeol drive you home.”    


With that, Yixing turned away, leaving a soaking wet Byun Baekhyun alone in the rain.   


“I should check on him.” Jongdae said, breaking the silence back inside the house. He, too, hurried out into the rain, quickly wrapping both arms around his best friend.   


“Can I go play outside, Daddy?” Eunra asked.   


Junmyeon, who now stood in the den with everyone else, shook his head. “No, honey. It’s raining. You’ll get sick.”   


“Is he coming home with us?” Eunjoon piped up, pointing at Kris.   


Junmyeon looked over, seeing his hand tightly wrapped in Kris’. He shot Kris a look, ripping his hand away. “No. God, no.” Junmyeon said in disgust, going as far as to make a face and shudder.   


“I don’t know if I should be offended or not.” Kris muttered.   


“I think you should.” Eunra told him.   


“Anyways,” Sehun broke in, coughing. “This has been eventful.”   


“Wait!” Tao cried, throwing his arms up, making everyone freeze. “If we said  _ everyone _ , where’s Jooeun?”   
  


**bunbunjooeun** : fuxking bitvhes    
  


The moment Do Kyungsoo and Do Jongin stepped into their home, after Jongin had calmed the excited dogs down, Kyungsoo laid on the bed the two shared, sighing.   


“Our friends tire me out.”    


“ _ Everyone _ tires you out.” Jongin argued, pushing him over and climbing onto the bed, laying next to him.   


“That’s true. But no one tires me out like them. They’re so dramatic. Only with them will you find an affair like that.”   


“I think Luhan’s found his material for his next movie.”    


“Nini?”   


“Mhm?”   


“Are you happy? With me?”   


“There’s never been a time where I haven’t.” Jongin pressed a small kiss to Kyungsoo’s forehead. “You still worry about that, don’t you?”   


Kyungsoo nodded. “I try not to.”   


“I’m always yours. You don’t need to worry. Say, why don’t I take you out for coffee tomorrow?”   


“I’ll add a few shots of vodka to it for you.”   


Do Kyungsoo does not know many things, but one thing he does know is that he loved Jongin, and that Jongin loved him.   


Despite how close or far apart the two were, despite how much they have grown and changed and how much more growing and changing they still had to do, no matter where they ended up, the two would always have each other.   


Because love isn’t how many children you have or how many people approve or how big the wedding is, love isn’t the story of how you met or how long you’ve been together, love isn’t finite and fixated.   


Love is that overwhelming feeling of warmth as you watch him bring yet another dog into the house and loving him so much you’re willing to leave things behind and climb over others.    


Love is the bite out of a cupcake and the numbers written on the side of a cup of coffee.

 

_ FIN _


	82. [BONUS CHAPTER] I / Rings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; mentions of PTSD; depictions of separation anxiety

_ -Day 1508; June 12th, 2021- _

**oohsehunnie** : meet at my place for 2

**oohsehunnie** : ill have a babysitter so bring your kids   
**kim junmyeon.** : im not leaving my kids with some random   
**oohsehunnie** : it’s not some random it’s minseok and I’m paying him so get your ass over here before I make jomgdae drive me out there and beat your ass   
**kim junmyeon.** : why can’t the twins just come with   
**oohsehunnie** : you won’t want you’re kids where we’re going   
**kim junmyeon.** : kinky   
**kim junmyeon.** : but fine see you at 2   
  
Kim Junmyeon hadn’t even stepped in the door before he was already being pushed out by Oh Sehun.    
  
“What? Wait!” Junmyeon cried, trying to push past Sehun and into the home, but Sehun was stronger and not as tired, as all of Junmyeon’s energy had gone into trying to get his kids ready and out the door, and Sehun easily overpowered Junmyeon. “Daddy loves you!” he called to his children, Kim Eunra and Kim Eunjoon, as the door closed behind them. “Fuck off.” he scoffed.   
  
Sehun laughed, linking his arm with Junmyeon’s as they walked back down the driveway, to where Junmyeon’s car was parked. “They’re fine, you’re fine, everything’s fine.”   
  
Junmyeon risked a glance over his shoulder, to where Eunjoon stood in the window, Kim Jongdae behind him, his own daughter, Kim Yoojoo, in his arms.   
  
Junmyeon waved, and he could see Eunjoon turn to Jongdae, who nodded at him, and then the small boy ran off.   
  
“Junmyeon,” Sehun whined, and Junmyeon looked over to the passenger’s side of the car, where Sehun repeatedly pulled on the handle, leaning back. “Let me in.”   
  
Junmyeon sighed, fumbling with his keys. “You’re just as bad as the twins.”    
  
He unlocked the car, and both Junmyeon and Sehun climbed in. Junmyeon dropped his phone in the cupholder, and backed out of the driveway.   
  
“Where are we going?” Junmyeon asked. “Can you put it in my GPS, please?”   
  
Sehun turned as attention the the GPS built into Junmyeon’s dash, tapping around on it.   
  
“I still can’t believe you bought a mom van.” Sehun commented.   
  
“It’s not a mom van,” Junmyeon rolled his eyes. “It’s convenient.”   
  
“It’s filthy is what it is.” Sehun turned around in his seat, peering into the back. There were crumbs pushed into the cracks of the seats, the backs of the chairs and sides of the car doors were covered in small, dusty footprints, there were handprints on the windows, and there were toys and drink cups forgotten in the car seats.   
  
“Listen,” Junmyeon said, turning a corner. “I have two four year olds, this is as clean as it’s going to get.”   
  
“Take a vacuum to it.”   
  
“When I have the time in thirteen years, I totally will.”   
  
~   
  
Junmyeon carefully pulled into a parking lot situated on a hill, which overlooked a small beach. It wasn’t very busy, but the majority of traffic consisted of docks and boats.   
  
Junmyeon and Sehun clambered out, and Junmyeon followed Sehun down to the beach and up to a building, where a few boys laid behind. The boys were young, no older than seventeen.   
  
“Mr. Oh!” one cried, smiling widely. “Pleasure to see you! This must be Mr. Kim,” The boy gestured to Junmyeon, and Sehun nodded. “Are the two of you ready?” Again, Sehun agreed, and Junmyeon shot him a glance - he was still unsure of what it was exactly they were doing there. “Great!” the boy continued. “I’ll just get you to sign off on these for me, please.” He pushed them both a clipboard with a pen attached with a string. Junmyeon quickly read over the terms, signed at the bottom of the waiver, and then slid the clipboard back.   
  
The boy took the boards and then disappeared out the back, and then re-appeared at the side. “Follow me!” he chirped cheerily, and the two men followed him down the beach. “Do you need me to show you everything again, Mr. Oh? I don’t mind, but I’m sure you remember everything from last time,” he turned to face Junmyeon. “He’s a real natural, you know! I was so shocked to hear it was his first time out ever.”   
  
Junmyeon was still confused onto what the two were doing, but was quickly ushered onto a boat by Sehun, and before he knew it, the excitable boy was waving back at them from the shore.   
  
“Sehun?” Junmyeon questioned, slight demand in his voice. “Are you sure about this?”    
  
Junmyeon knew better than anyone that Sehun was scared of the water, and he was worried his friend had been possessed or had gone mad when he saw him behind the wheel of a small boat.   
  
“I’ve done it before, I’m fine,” Sehun insisted. “I’m okay.”   
  
“Just be careful. Please.”    
  
“Do you want to know what we’re doing?” Sehun asked, cocking an eyebrow and plastering on a cocky smile.   
  
“Do I?”   
  
“Well, you’re not going to find out until we’re there.”   
  
“I thought we  _ were _ there. Like, there was here.”   
  
“Nope. We’re not too far, though.”   
  
Sehun maneuvered the boat a little further in the water, and dropped anchor not too far from a small island. The two boys clambered out, wading onto the sandy beach from the ankle-deep water.   
  
“You should’ve told me to wear better shoes.” Junmyeon scoffed, placing his shoes on the sand and using his sweater to dry his feet off before stuffing them back in.   
  
“It’s not that bad,” Sehun snapped. “We only have a little further.”   
  
Junmyeon sighed, begrudgingly following his friend up a hill, trying not to get sand in his shoes. “You keep saying that.”   
  
“Because I’m right.”   
  
The boys walked a little further until they reached the top of the hill, where it branched off into a cliff, overlooking the water on the other side of where they began to trek up.   
  
“It’s pretty.” was all Junmyeon said. Was this it? Sehun had made him leave his kids abruptly, drive about a half hour out of town, spend another fifteen minutes in a boat guided by a man with PTSD from a water accident, and then spent another ten minutes trekking up a hill, where, yes, he  _ did _ get sand in his shoes, for a little view? Yes, it was pretty, but nothing significant.    
  
Sehun laughed, and then came up behind him, placing his hands on his shoulders. “Close your eyes.”   
  
“No!” Junmyeon exclaimed, skirting away from him and further inland. “You’ll push me off.”   
  
Sehun laughed again. “Is that how much you trust me?” Sehun grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back to where he was standing. “I won’t push you, I promise. Just close your eyes and trust me.”   
  
“This better not be a mistake, Oh Sehun.” Junmyeon sighed begrudgingly, but closing his eyes nonetheless.   
  
“Think about yourself for a second. What do you feel?”   
  
“Honestly? Very unsure and kinda weirded out.”   
  
“I’ll dumb it down. What do you feel when you think about your home life?”   
  
“Sad.”   
  
Sehun sighed. “It is sad, isn’t it? What makes it sad?”   
  
“I married and had children with a woman I’ve never loved, my children are growing up in a home where their mother cares more about another woman than them and with a father who can barely keep himself together,” Junmyeon turned around, opening his eyes, grabbing Sehun by the collar and pulling him down. “I don’t want that, Sehunnie,” he said, choking back tears. “I love them too much, they don’t deserve this, I-”   
  
“Sh-h-h,” Sehun hushed his friend, gently removing his hands from his collar. “It’s okay. This is why we’re here,” Sehun turned Junmyeon back around. “Close your eyes again,” Junmyeon did so. “What can you do to fix that? Make everything better?”   
  
“Have you push Sooyoung and I off this cliff.”   
  
“As much as I’d love to do that, I have too good of a reputation to be involved in a murder scandal, even if I do have Kyungsoo as my lawyer. Think of something else.”   
  
“I feel like you’re looking for a specific answer.”   
  
“Maybe. Just tell me something. Anything.”   
  
“Anything.”   
  
Sehun scoffed. “You have no idea how close you are to getting pushed off. What I was looking for was something like, ‘better myself, get over it’. Do you know how we’re going to go about that?”   
  
“Just please, push me off this damn cliff.”   
  
“We’re getting there, shush it,” Sehun scolded. “We need to let go of all of that, everything weighing you down and keeping you in the past. Do you know what I think connects you most to the past?”   
  
“You?”   
  
Sehun made a buzzer noise. “Wrong. Your ring,” Sehun turned Junmyeon around, grabbing his right hand. “Give it.”   
  
Junmyeon wrenched his hand away, and Sehun and Junmyeon exchanged glances. Junmyeon gave in, and hesitatingly, slipped the silver ring off of his finger, dropping it into Sehun’s palm.   
  
“This water’s pretty deep,” Sehun warned, turning Junmyeon around yet again so he faced the water, his back pressed up against Sehun’s chest. Sehun pressed the silver ring back into Junmyeon’s hand, curling his fingers around it. He then held his closed fist in his hand, guiding his hand up, as if he was a baseball player, throwing the ball from left field to home base. “You know what you have to do.” Sehun released him, stepping away, and Junmyeon followed through on his own, kicking up his leg as he chucked the ring into the air.   
  
The two watched as the ring sailed, catching a ray of light and reflecting off before it landed in the water with a gentle plop.   
  
“How do you feel?” Sehun asked.   
  
Junmyeon stood near the edge, looking out solemnly over the water. He was silent for a moment before he said anything. “Sort of strange,” he admitted. “Lighter, but like I’ve left something important behind.”   
  
Sehun came back up behind Junmyeon, wrapping his arms around his waist. “It’s alright,” he cooed, sensing his friend’s sensitivity. “You’re alright.”   
  
Junmyeon turned to face Sehun, meaning to leave, back the way they came, but Sehun laid his hand on Junmyeon’s chin, tilting his head up and gently laying his lips on his.    
  
Junmyeon’s eyes widened in surprise, and he wrenched away. “What the hell was that?” he demanded, swiping the back of his hand across his mouth.   
  
Sehun shrugged. “Felt the situation called for it.” He shoved his hands in his front pockets, turned on his heels, walking away.   
  
“Hey!” Junmyeon called after him. “Get back here! Now I know why your girlfriend is always mad at you!” He took off, chasing his friend.    
  
~   
  


_ -Day 2231; June 5th, 2023- _

**oohsehunnie** : meet at my place 1 bring your childs have babysit    
**oohsehunnie** : Ter   
**kim junmyeon** .: are you drunk? Do I need to come get you?   
**oohsehunnie** : minanddae re here   
**oohsehunnie** : forgot smth @ home   
**oohsehunnie** : I says stay w yoojoo they leave   
**oohsehunnie** : is 30 weeks too late for an abortion    
**oohsehunnie** : imwbeing taccKeD   
**kim junmyeon.** : lmaoooo now you know how it feels   
**kim junmyeon.** : but yeah I’ll be there why????   
**oohsehunnie** : secret    
  
Kim Junmyeon was a man of his word, and he showed up at the desired time with both of his children, one of his large hands wrapped around one of theirs.   
  
“Sehunnie,” Junmyeon called out as he stepped foot in the door, helping his children remove shoes and take jackets and smooth out hair and wipe stray stains off of faces. “We’re here!”   
  
“Uncle Sehunnie!” Kim Eunra exclaimed, taking off as soon as her shoes and jacket were off.   
  
“Get back here!” Junmyeon called out after her, taking Kim Eunjoon’s jacket off with one hand and his thumb outstretched on the other. “You’re not going anywhere with a dirty face like that!”   
  
Eunra was brought back over to Junmyeon by Oh Sehun, who held the giggling girl by the arms. He held her close to him, holding her down as she writhed, avoiding Junmyeon’s thumb as he scrubbed a spot off of her face.   
  
“What even is that?” he asked her, and her mischievous grin grew. Junmyeon stuck his thumb in his mouth, tasting the brown spot he had just removed from his small daughter. “Is that chocolate?” he asked again, and she just laughed in reply. “Where did you get that from?”    
  
Eunra wiggled free from Sehun’s grasp and took off running again, skidding to a stop in front of Kim Yoojoo, the daughter of Kim Minseok and Kim Jongdae, who was a few years younger than the twins. Eunra immediately sat on the floor, busying herself in the toys with Yoojoo.    
  
Minseok came over to the front door, greeting Junmyeon, where he knelt on the front welcome mat, helping his son remove his shoes.   
  
“I can take him.” Minseok said after, holding his arms out for the child.    
  
Junmyeon picked him up and handed him off to his friend, knowing that his kids were safe in his hands. He started to say goodbye to them, give them a short lecture (again) about behaviour, when Eunjoon leaned away from Minseok, his arms outstretched towards Junmyeon.   
  
“Daddy.” he said, and Junmyeon’s heart plummeted as he gently took his son from his friend, sitting him on his hip and wrapping his arms tightly around him, swaying back and forth slightly to try and soothe him.    
  
“You’re okay,” Junmyeon told him. “You’re fine to stay here with Minseok and Jongdae for a little bit. Daddy’s just going to go with Uncle Sehunnie for a little bit. And then we’ll go back home and have dinner with Mumma. You’re good to play with Eunra and Yoojoo.”   
  
“No,” Eunjoon said stubbornly, hiding his face in his father’s shoulder, clinging as tightly as he could to his father’s arm. “I want to come.”   
  
“You can’t, baby,” Junmyeon said softly. “This is for Daddy and Uncle Sehunnie. You’re okay to play, though. Here.”    
  
Junmyeon quickly kicked his shoes off, strolling across the room and kneeling next to the girls, gently detaching Eunjoon from himself and seating him on the floor. “You’re okay to play.” he repeated, standing up.   
  
He tried to move away, but Eunjoon skirted out, grabbing onto Junmyeon’s foot. “No, Daddy, don’t go.” he pleaded, earning himself a slap on the thigh from his sister.   
  
“Eunjoon!” she shouted. “You’re being a brat.”   
  
“Eunra,” Junmyeon scolded pointedly. “We’re not to use those words, and you know that. Say sorry to your brother.”   
  
“Sorry.” Eunra grumbled, crossing her arms.   
  
“Hug.”   
  
Eunra shot her father a look, and then slowly began inching towards her brother, who all too excitedly left his father and wrapped his arms around his sister, squeezing her so Eunra made a fake choking sound.   
  
Junmyeon took this as his chance to leave, and walked back over to the door, shoving his feet into his shoes. Eunjoon then realized his father was missing, saw him at the door, and reached out for him again.   
  
“No! Daddy!”   
  
“Eunjoon!” Eunra yelled again.   
  
“Maybe I shouldn’t go.” Junmyeon frowned.   
  
“Nonsense.” Minseok said.   
  
“She pinching me!” Eunjoon yelled.   
  
“They’re fine,” Jongdae consoled. “You two get out of here. Watch,” he turned to the children, clasping his hands together. “Who wants a cookie?”   
  
“Me!” Eunra yelled, pushing herself up using her brother’s head, pushing him to the floor, where he made no effort to get back up or retaliate.   
  
“He’s fine.” Junmyeon assured, seeing Minseok’s worried look.   
  
“Let’s get out of here while we can.” Sehun said, grabbing Junmyeon’s arm and pulling him out the door while Jongdae had the children distracted.   
  
Junmyeon and Sehun piled into Junmyeon’s car - the same van as before, a little more clean, different seats for the children, bigger handprints on the windows and larger footprints on the backs of the seats, different foods shoved into the cracks of the seats and new toys littering the back.    
  
Sehun reached over, punching a familiar location into Junmyeon’s GPS. “I see you still haven’t cleaned it.”   
  
Junmyeon rolled his eyes. “If it bothers you that much, you do it.”   
  
“I can send my cleaner over, y’know. She’s amazing, she usually has mine done in about a half hour, but of course, it’ll take a little longer with yours.”   
  
If Junmyeon wasn’t such a cautious driver, he’d reach over and slap Sehun. “Fuck off,” he told him, joking around. “Because of that, you can text Minseok and Jongdae and see how the twins are doing.”   
  
“It hasn’t even been five minutes yet.”   
  
“I can’t wait until you have kids.”   
  
**oohsehunnie** : myeon wants to know how the kiddos are doin   
**not minseok✨** : rlly well actually joo+ra are playing well and we set up a movie for joon    
**oohsehunnie** : k thanks    
**oohsehunnie** : myeon says to let us know if anything happens or if you need anything    
**not minseok✨** : will do    
  
It wasn’t until Junmyeon was pulling into the slanted parking lot did he register they were somewhere familiar.   
  
“We’ve been here before.” Junmyeon muttered, placing his car into park.   
  
“About two years ago, yeah.” Sehun answered, clambering out. The two walked down the hill, back up to the building.   
  
The boy that met them this time was older than the young, excitable one from before, and he was visibly more bored and tired than the other.   
  
Monotonously, the boy made them sign off on the waivers again, and led them out to the boats, where, once again, he showed Sehun the controls, and the two jetted out again in the same direction.   
  
“Okay, I get why we came here last year,” Junmyeon said, leaning back in the seats provided that lined the edge of the boat. “But why now? I’m in a good place,” Sehun didn’t answer, and so Junmyeon continued on. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can drive if you want me to.”   
  
“Please save all questions for the end.” Sehun told him, holding his hand out in a halting way.   
  
Junmyeon sighed, and stayed quiet until Sehun knocked the anchor down in the ankle-deep water again.   
  
The two climbed out, and again, Sehun led Junmyeon up the same hill up to the same cliff.   
  
“Sehun.” Junmyeon warned.   
  
“Turn around, close your eyes.” Sehun instructed, and begrudgingly, Junmyeon did so, feeling Sehun’s hands on his shoulders.   
  
“Are you going to kiss me again?”   
  
“No, but I may throw you off for real this time if you don’t shut up.”   
  
“Please don’t. That means my children will be left with you, and I’d rather not have them die.”   
  
“Myeon, think about yourself for a second. How do you feel about yourself? Your home life?”   
  
“I always feel really shitty about myself,” Junmyeon started. “And as for my home life, it’s...getting better? In a strange, dysfunctional way. I’m a better father than I was a few years ago - at least, I’d like to think - and I won’t have to deal with Juhyun for much longer. That’s what worries me, though. My kids will be practically growing up without a mother. That can’t be good, especially for Eunra.”   
  
“Do you think your home life has to do with how shitty you feel about yourself?”   
  
“I’m not sure.”   
  
“Can I tell you something?”   
  
“You’re going to do so anyways, even if I say no.”   
  
“As someone that grew up without a father, I think you’re doing a great job. With Miss Seohyun gone, yeah, it’ll be a bigger job for you, but I don’t doubt that you can’t do it.”   
  
“Thanks.” was all Junmyeon could mutter out, pressing that warm feeling in his chest down, repressing the small smile that played at his lips.    
  
Sehun turned Junmyeon around, instructing that he hold out his hands for him. Junmyeon did so, and again, Sehun slipped the ring off of his left ring finger, dropping it into his palm.   
  
“Think about how you felt last time. Bury her with the rest of your past.”   
  
“That’s murder.”   
  
“You know what I mean,” Sehun snapped. “Do it.”   
  
Junmyeon didn’t hesitate this time, and threw his wedding ring further than he did the one from Kris.


	83. [BONUS CHAPTER] II / Mingi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Strong language; implied sexual references; references of drug use and abuse; mentions of suicide; homophobia and homophobic slurs

_ -Day 751; Monday, June 10th, 2019- _

Do Kyungsoo and Do Jongin debated for longer than they should’ve over future children.   
  
Both of them were born men, so they couldn’t have a baby together biologically. To Jongin, who really wanted children, that wasn’t a problem - he was okay with adoption, a surrogate - whatever Kyungsoo wanted to go through with.   
  
Kyungsoo was a little harder to convince. He didn’t want children as much as Jongin, and often found himself too wrapped up in his job for a child. He felt he worked too much for Jongin at times, but every time he brought it up, Jongin shot him down, saying he understood and that he often felt quite pre-occupied, too. They made sure to make time for each other, weekly date nights, but a child atop was something Kyungsoo deemed too much.   
  
As a lawyer, Kyungsoo was familiar with surrogacy laws, and found it more difficult to hire a surrogate than what it would be worth.   
  
“She might not even get pregnant,” Kyungsoo told his husband one night when the topic had been brought up. “I don’t want to do all that paperwork and throw all our money down the drain for something that’s barely legal. Say we did get one. We still need an egg donor, and we’d have to decide whose sperm to give. We can’t give both.”   
  
“One of my sisters can be our egg donor,” Jongin argued. “Subin has some eggs frozen, I’m pretty sure, and Mihyeon would donate, too. We could use your jizz. We could-”   
  
“Please, never call it my ‘jizz’ again.” Kyungsoo sighed, using all of his self-control to not smile and laugh at him. He drummed his fingers against the kitchen table he sat at, trying to direct his attention to that rather than the comments his husband kept making.   
  
“Sperm and semen sound weird though, and so does seed. Cum sounds oddly sexual, and nut sounds too juvenile.”   
  
“I don’t know if I should be disappointed or surprised you know that many different words for sperm, but I’m also confused on how to feel that I don’t think you know the difference between some of those.”   
  
“I’m an animal doctor, okay? Not a human doctor.”   
  
“You always tell me you’re not a doctor, just a scientist.”   
  
“We’re getting off track. What I’m trying to say, is, my sisters can help. Subin or Mihyeon could carry, even. I give you full permission to fuck my sisters.”   
  
“I’m not fucking your sisters.” Kyungsoo said, again, trying to push down his amusement.   
  
“I’m okay with not being a legal parent.”   
  
“That’s not the point, Nini. I just don’t think surrogacy is the right way to go about this.”   
  
“What about adoption, then?”    
  
“I don’t think we fit all the requirements. That’s a long, gruelling process, even if we weren’t two men.”   
  
Jongin drew up a chair beside Kyungsoo, gripping his hands. “Think about it, Soo,” he urged. “Yeah, it’ll be a long process and a fuck ton of paperwork and interviews and office visits and all that jazz. But think about the end of it. We’ll have a  _ child _ . Don’t we want that?”   
  
Kyungsoo was about to launch into his ‘we don’t have time for children’ speech for the nth time when he caught himself, hesitated, mulled it over for a moment, and then spoke. “What if I met you halfway?”   
  
“What?”   
  
“Foster care. We could get a foster child. They’ll likely be a little older, so we wouldn’t have to worry about being with them all the time. Foster families aren’t too popular here, so we wouldn’t wait as long as, say, adoption. I know some people, too, and besides, there are children that need homes.”   
  
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so in love with you,” Jongin whispered when he met his husband’s eyes. Kyungsoo laughed, not bothering to hold it back this time, and Jongin gasped dramatically, slumping in his seat and placing a hand over his heart. “You’re making it worse!” Kyungsoo laughed more and Jongin leaned in, kissing him on the lips.

  
  
Kyungsoo was the lawyer, and so he handled the paperwork. He told Jongin what to sign and where, and what it meant. Jongin offered numerous times to help, but Kyungsoo shut him down every time, saying that if he wanted to help he could get him a coffee or sit with him, but be quiet.    
  
Of course, there were the interviews, the assessments, and Jongin was there for all of that. Jongin’s name was at the bottom of every paper, written messier than Kyungsoo’s near his.   
  
Kyungsoo told Jongin what he needed to know, and that was the bare minimum. He didn’t want to plague his husband with things he’d have trouble understanding or useless information not even Kyungsoo would remember.   
  
Kyungsoo liked to think that that was why Jongin was so eager, pulling her suitcase for her and opening the door, immediately showing the girl which room was hers.   
  
“We’ll give you some time to settle in?” Kyungsoo posed, and the girl nodded, closing the door.   
  
Kyungsoo didn’t tell Jongin the background of the girl. He knew he already saw her in a different light than the excited, virginal Jongin, who stood in their kitchen, stuffing Kyungsoo’s favourite mug under the coffee machine for him.   
  
“Nini?”   
  
“Hm?”   
  
“Can we talk?”   
  
Jongin turned around, the coffee machine pouring the dark liquid into the mug. “Please tell me you don’t want to send her back already. At least give her a few days.”   
  
“That’s not it,” Kyungsoo told him. “We need to talk about where she’s from.”   
  
Jongin retrieved the mug from the machine, pouring in a bit of milk and reaching his hand into a jar of sugar to drop it into the coffee as well. “Didn’t you tell me that already?”   
  
“Not exactly,” Kyungsoo said as Jongin crossed the kitchen, placing the mug of coffee in front of Kyungsoo and taking the seat in front of him. Kyungsoo wrapped his hands around the coffee mug, giving it a moment to cool off before he sipped from it. “She’s been in and out of a few foster homes. The longest she’s been in a home is eight months. A lot of people do send her back, because they deem her too unruly. She’s been in and out of family and group homes since she was seven. Her father died when she was young and her mother-”   
  
“Was incarcerated,” Jongin finished, smiling over at his husband. “You told me. Remembered, see?” He tapped the side of his forehead.   
  
“Yes, I know,” Kyungsoo let a small smile play at his lips. “Let’s be easy with her though, okay? As important as it is for her to be in a setting like this, we can’t expect model behaviour from the get-go.”   
  
Jongin opened his mouth the reply, but was cut off by a shrill scream and a loud curse word from the room of Cho Mingi, and both Jongin and Kyungsoo leaped up, entering the room.   
  
“Is everything okay?” Kyungsoo asked, observing Mingi hopped up onto the bed next to her open suitcase.   
  
“There’s a snake in here!” she cried, pointing to the floor.   
  
Jongin just laughed, leaning down and scooping up the brightly coloured snake. “Sara!” he cried, the snake wrapping itself around his arm. “What are you doing in here? This isn’t your room!” He stroked the side of it with his finger.   
  
“ _ Sara? _ ” Mingi demanded.   
  
Jongin nodded, holding his arm out towards her, but she inched away. “This is Sara. I used to do some work with her, but once we finished our trials, I brought her home. She has a sister named Tegan my coworker, Yang Hongseok, took home. That’s also where we got Ferris, Cameron, Sloane, and Luna from.”   
  
“What?” Mingi repeated, more confused and scared than before.   
  
Kyungsoo sighed, laying a hand on Jongin’s (snake-free) arm. “Sara is Jongin’s pet snake. But don’t worry, she won’t hurt you, and neither will the others.”   
  
“Others?”   
  
“Three dogs and a cat!” Jongin cheered. “And about fifteen fish last I counted. They’re all named Nemo.”   
  
“What do you do for a job?” Mingi eased into the idea of the many animals in the household and sat herself down on the bed.   
  
“I’m an area wildlife ecologist,” Jongin explained, Sara untangling herself from his arm and snaking up his shoulders towards his neck. “I work in local parks and such and observe the wildlife there, how to protect it, what’s natural and what’s not. Hongseok and I found Tegan and Sara not too long ago; we suspect some American brought them in and dumped them there, as they’re rosy boas, which makes them more common in America rather than Korea.”   
  
“That sounds...cool, I guess.”   
  
Jongin laughed. “Nothing here will hurt you. Sara can look a little scary, but she won’t hurt you. Do you want to hold her?”   
  
Jongin carefully unwrapped the snake from around his neck, holding it out in front of him. Mingi shook her head vigorously, inching away from it again.   
  
Jongin shrugged. “I’ll go put you back in your tank now, okay?” he cooed, leaving the room. “We’ll need to get you a new one, huh? You keep escaping, and we can’t have that now can we? One day you’ll go a little too far, and we don’t want you to get lost or die.”   
  
Kyungsoo turned to Mingi. “I know they can be a little scary at first,” he told her. “But they’re all harmless and you’ll warm up to them. I’m not really a huge animal person, but I’ve woken up too many times now to a dog on my chest to care.”   
  
Mingi smiled at that. “I don’t think I’d mind a dog.”   
  
~   
  


_ -Day 971; January 16th, 2020- _   
Truthfully, Jongin and Kyungsoo had no clue why Mingi had been through so many different homes, sent away so many times, deemed unruly by so many.   
  
To them, Mingi was model behaviour; she helped around the house without being asked, did all her schoolwork on time, got decent grades, never got calls home from school, the likes.   
  
“Maybe we’re just that good of parents.” Kyungsoo said one night, lying beside Jongin in the bed they shared.   
  
“Hell yeah,” Jongin muttered, half-asleep. “The best. Naturals. Fuck yeah.” In the dark, he held up his hand, and Kyungsoo had no other choice but to reach up and high-five him.   
  
It wasn’t until Mingi was under their roof for three months did the two get a little taste of what drove so many people away.   
  
The three quickly found out that the high school they had transferred Mingi to was the same high school Byun-Zhang Yixing taught English literature at, and although Yixing wasn’t her teacher, he still often went over material with her.    
  
Jongin usually picked Mingi up from school, as he finished work around that time, or at least, was able to pick her up and drop her off at home over his break as Mingi was unable to drive herself.   
  
However, one day, Jongin got held up at work, and was unable to get Mingi from school. Kyungsoo, who worked all day, was never able to get her, either, and so Jongin had no choice but to arrange a ride for her with Yixing.    
  
**jonginini** : yixing will drive you home today, okay? you have your key? I’m pretty sure xing has one in case you don’t but you should have yours that’s why we gave it to you   
**minnimingi** : yeah I have it, and I’m okay, I’ll get a ride with a friend   
**jonginini** : who?? to where???    
**minnimingi** : im habin and we’ll come straight home    
**jonginini** : text me when you leave, when you’re close, and when you’re there    
**minnimingi** : like always   
  
  


When Jongin returned home two hours later, an hour before Kyungsoo was due to be home, he was instantly hit with a smell he had been a little too familiar with in his university years, but not one he had encountered in recent years.   
  
_ Maybe she really did go home with Yixing _ , he thought as he made his way further into the home, the smell becoming stronger, and the voices evident, as so was the fact that Mingi hadn’t went home with Yixing, or just this Im Habin.   
  
Including Mingi, three other girls and two other boys who Jongin had never seen before lounged in his living room, small plastic baggies of marijuana spread out on his coffee table.   
  
His mood immediately dropped, and so did the mood in the room as the kids registered that he was there and who he was. They froze, unsure of what to do. Take for the window? Push past him? It was too late to hide... could they still place blame on someone else?   
  
Jongin crossed the room, picking up one of the baggies, turning it over as the six watched him carefully, not daring to move or say anything.   
  
He signed, tossing the baggie back onto the coffee table. “Do you all have a safe ride home?”   
  
“We’ll get a cab, sir.” one boy said.   
  
“We can walk, too, sir.” one of the girls chimed in.   
  
Jongin held one arm out towards the door. “If you could be so kind as to show yourselves out.”   
  
All six immediately scrambled up, fighting to be the first one out the door, and Jongin stuck his arm out, halting Mingi from following them.   
  
“You’re not going anywhere,” Jongin told her, raising his eyebrows, and she immediately sulked, becoming smaller. “First of all,” he began, regarding the coffee table and pushing a small line of the plant into an empty bag. “You  _ smoke _ Mary Jane, not snort it. Secondly, we do heroin and crack in this house, not some measly weed.”   
  
Mingi’s expression immediately retorted into one of anger, her body language becoming tense. “Why would you say that?” she demanded, taking Jongin off guard. He expected a negative reaction, an outburst, an argument, a defence, a lie, and excuse, but not that. “I hate you!”   
  
She turned on her heel, making her way to her bedroom and slamming the door shut behind her.   
  
“We’ll talk about this later!” he called. Jongin knew better than to immediately chase after her, and got to cleaning up the living room while he gave her time to cool off, and mulled over what it was exactly he was going to tell Kyungsoo.   
  
Kyungsoo was home ten minutes earlier than he usually was.   
  
“Are you kidding me?” Kyungsoo demanded, waving his phone as he entered the living room. “You seriously have to be pulling my leg.”   
  
Jongin faced the frustrated Kyungsoo, confused. “What?”   
  
“Did you seriously tell Mingi we do  _ heroin _ ?”   
  
“It was a joke, and she knows that. Soo, I came in and-”   
  
“I don’t care about the weed right now, Jongin. Do you know  _ why _ Mingi is a foster child?”   
  
“Because she got taken away from her parents.”   
  
“Her mother. Her father’s dead. Do you know why she was taken away from her mother?”    
  
Jongin shook his head. “You never told me that.”   
  
Kyungsoo flustered around for a moment, no longer sure if he should be angry with Jongin or himself. “Her mother is a fucking heroin addict, Jongin!” he finally hissed.   
  
The weight of what Jongin had done finally hit him square in the face, and he paled. “Oh my god.”   
  
“So stupid.” Kyungsoo murmured.   
  
“I’ll go talk to her?”   
  
“You better.”   
  
Jongin crossed the room, knocking gently on Mingi’s door. “Min?” he asked. “It’s Jongin - can I come in?”   
  
“No.” was her stiff reply.   
  
“Can I talk to you through the door, then?”   
  
“Fine. Come in.”   
  
Gingerly, Jongin opened the door, stepping in.  “Can I sit?” she nodded, and he sat near her on the bed. Mingi’s back was faced to him. “I’m going to tell you a story,” she looked back, shooting him a glare, but didn’t protest. “It’ll be short, don’t worry. Once upon a time, I met a boy. He was handsome and funny-”   
  
“Kyungsoo isn’t funny.”   
  
“It’s an acquired taste. But that’s not what I’m getting at. I fell in love with and married a wonderful boy with many, many qualities, one of which is him being like, pretty fucking smart. Smarter than me, and smart enough to be a lawyer, and a damn good one at that.   
  
“So when we get anything official looking, whether it be taxes or foster papers, Kyungsoo deals with it, and he tells me what I need to know. And when it came to you, it wasn’t much. I didn’t care, though; I didn’t care where you came from, who you were,  _ whatever _ ; I cared that you were coming and that we were finally able to provide you a good home, because Lord knows you needed it.   
  
“All I knew about where you came from was that your father passed and your mother was incarcerated, and you’ve been through quite a few foster homes.”   
  
“Quite a few is an understatement.” Mingi snorted.   
  
“I didn’t know about why your mother was incarcerated, and I still don’t know how your father passed. But now I’ve learned a little more about you, something I didn’t think was important before, and I’m sorry for that. I need to watch what I say, and I’ll be more careful next time.”   
  
“It’s fine,” Mingi said, and, after a beat, continued. “My father died of a hallucinogenic suicide. He shot himself in the head while he was hopped up on drugs when I was two. That was when my mother started doing heroin, and other stuff, but heroin is all I really remember.”   
  
“I’m sorry to hear that.”   
  
Mingi shifted on the bed to face Jongin, and to see Kyungsoo leaning on the doorframe. “Do you two really do heroin?”   
  
“Fuck no.” Kyungsoo spat.   
  
“It was meant to be a joke,” Jongin explained. “To loosen up the subject before I told you off about the weed.”   
  
“We don’t do any drugs in this house,” Kyungsoo added. “Unless you count caffeine and antihistamine. But weed? Not something we’re doing here. We get you want to experiment and you’re curious about things, and we’re glad you did it in a controlled environment of sorts, but not exactly something we want to see you doing again. Don’t do it behind our backs, either. That’ll get you in way worse trouble.”   
  
“From now on, you go home with one of us, Yixing, or someone else we tell you to, okay?” Jongin said, and Mingi nodded.   
  
“I’d tell you to give the weed back, but that’s drug dealing.” Kyungsoo sighed.    
  
~

 

_ -Day 1006; February 20th, 2020- _   
  
**minnimingi** : can hyeji come home with us today for a little bit? Her parents can pick her up around 4?    
**jonginini** : has she been over before?   
**minnimingi** : no   
**jonginini** : does she do drugs?   
**minnimingi** : god no ffs   
**jonginini** : Do any of you have drugs on you?   
**minnimingi** : no !! **  
** **minnimingi** : nothing to do with drugs at all   
**minnimingi** : we want to work on a science project   
**jonginini** : what kind of project?   
**jonginini** : is it about drugs???   
**minnimingi** : NO NEIN NYET NAO   
**jonginini** : fine but I see/smell/touch/taste/hear ONE drug and i will    
**jonginini** : not sure what the punishment will be but not food!!!   
**jonginini** : good*   
**jonginini** : i won’t starve you I’m not that mean   
  


  
The passengers side back door of Kim Jongin’s car opened, and in slid Cho Mingi, and a girl with her highlights put in her hair and let down and loose around her shoulders and a soft nose slid in behind her.   
  
“Hyeji, this is my dad, Jongin,” Mingi began as Jongin adjusted his rear view mirror, peering at the new girl from it. “Jongin, this is my friend, Hyeji.”   
  
“Pleasure to meet you.” Jongin told her, and she exchanged the greeting as he pulled out of the school parking lot.   
  
“You might run into my other dad, Kyungsoo, at home. He said this morning he was going to come home earlier and I can decide where to go out for dinner.”   
  
Hyeji frowned, and addressed Jongin. “What do you do as a job?” she asked.   
  
“I’m an ecologist.” he answered.    
  
“That’s like... nature and stuff, right?”   
  
Jongin laughed. “Yeah, pretty much.”   
  
  
Once arrived home, the girls stole off to Mingi’s room, claiming they were getting straight to work on their project.   
  
It was a half hour later when the voices grew tense and more clear as they increased in volume, and Jongin, who sat on the kitchen floor, feeding the dogs small treats out of his hand, perked his ears up to listen in.   
  
He knew he wasn’t supposed to meddle (too much) in his child’s life, especially one of that of a teenage girl. But, having three older sisters, Jongin knew more about teenage girls than he cared to admit, and he was prepared to have to step in for Mingi if need be, although he knew she could hold her own.   
  
“What do you mean you don’t like them?” Mingi questioned, accusation lacing her voice. “You haven’t met them.”   
  
There was a pause of what Jongin could assume was only a shrug. “They’re two men, Min,” Shin Hyeji replied. “That’s disgusting and immoral. They only have you because they can’t have one themselves and flunked the adoption process. You’re a last resort. You’re lucky you got away with that weed thing; one more wrong move and they send you back where you came from, just like everybody else did.   
  
“I think you should just ask for another placement anyways. You’ve been through so much. They’re lulling you into a false sense of security. They’re probably planning on turning you gay, too, just like they did all their friends. You know what I heard? Mr. Byun-Zhang was engaged to a woman before that Baekhyung showed up. I’ve heard so many different ways he’s turned him gay I can’t keep them all straight. You don’t want to end up like them, Min.”   
  
“You haven’t even met them,” Mingi argued. “All of that’s bullshit! It doesn’t matter if they’re two men, two women, a woman and a man - hell, no gender! They love and care for me and  _ that’s _ what’s important and  _ that’s _ what I need. Who cares if they turn me gay? It doesn’t work like that anyways.”   
  
“If you turn gay, I won’t be your friend anymore. You’ll be all alone, all over again. No one will want to hang out with you. You’ll be known as the fucking faggot. Everyone will stay away from you, you’ll have to change all by yourself for gym because you’ll try and scissor us right then and there.”   
  
“If I was to scissor anyone, it sure as hell wouldn’t be you,” Mingi grumbled. “And I wouldn’t mind you not sticking around. You don’t get to come into my home and tell me what’s okay and what’s not. This is the best home I’ve ever been in, and that’s that. You want me to leave so bad? Where would I go? Back to my drug addict mother? Back to Jung Soori, who threatened to shoot me? Park Nahee, who beat me?    
  
“I don’t get any of that here. I get rides to and from school. I get three meals a day with snacks. I get a warm bed, a stable roof, new clothes, a-”   
  
“And a snake!” Hyeji yelped, pointing down to the floor where the small striped snake was furling in on itself on the school bags left on the floor.    
  
“That’s just Tegan. She won’t hurt you. She likes where it’s warm.”   
  
“Get her out of here!”   
  
Jongin saw this as his chance and opened the door to the room. “Girls? Are you okay in here?”   
  
Hyeji was backed into the corner of the room, pressed flat against the wall. “Snake!” she cried, pointing at it. “Kill it!”   
  
“No!” Mingi yelled as Jongin scooped over to pick Tegan up, who, as usual, wrapped herself around his arm.   
  
“This?” Jongin asked, and Hyeji nodded, still pressed against the wall in fear. “This is Tegan. She can’t and won’t hurt you. Watch,” Jongin pursed his lips, bringing his face close to Tegan’s face, who flicked her tongue against his lips. “Such a good girl.” he cooed, stroking her with his finger.   
  
“Are you kissing that god awful snake again?” Do Kyungsoo asked, standing in the doorway. He was still wearing his work clothes; having just returned home.   
  
“Maybe.”   
  
“Faggots.” Hyeji spat, and Kyungsoo’s attention turned to her, just realizing she was there.   
  
“Tegan is a girl.”   
  
“I think you should leave.” Mingi said, facing the other girl.   
  
“Damn right I am,” Hyeji hissed. “You live in sin, Cho Mingi, and it pains me to see you think this is okay. I can only hope you don’t carry the bad things they do to you with you.”   
  
And with that, Shin Hyeji gathered up her things and walked out, not bothering to say farewell or thank them.   
  
“What was that about?” Kyungsoo asked.   
  
“She didn’t like that you were both men.” Mingi told them.   
  
“You handled it well,” Jongin said, reaching over with his snake-free arm and ruffling her hair. ”I heard all of it.”   
  
“It’s strange. Tegan wasn’t in my room before. I made sure to check.”   
  
“I may have bumped her tank a little bit,” Jongin mused. “And I may have lifted her up and out. I don’t really remember, but I may have set her out front your door.”   
  
Kyungsoo sighed, shaking his head. “So goddamn lucky.”   
  


~  
  


_ -Day 1969; October 19th, 2022- _

It had been nearly two years now, and the looming fear of the routine they had created being cruelly taken away creeped up on them, wrapping its hand around their throats and choking them, pulling them down.   
  
Mingi’s 18th birthday was a few weeks away, and the foster system dictated that once a child turned 18, they were to be on their own, no longer cared for or supported by the system.    
  
Although Mingi had picked out a nice college to go to, and Jongin and Kyungsoo were eager to aid her in her funding, the uncertainty of the future was daunting and, quite frankly, terrified them.   
  
Cho Mingi, who was allowed rides to and from school with her friend Kang Namhee, came home to both Jongin and Kyungsoo seated at the kitchen table, Kyungsoo having a file that contained a few papers in front of him.   
  
“Min?” Kyungsoo wondered aloud, not looking up from his paperwork. “Come sit down a minute.”   
  
Fear immediately instilled itself in her. Although it had been awhile since she had done anything talk-worthy, she still couldn’t help but think of everything she had ever done wrong that they might disapprove of, think that they really were going to send her back despite how close she was, maybe they were divorcing-   
  
“Whatever you heard, it wasn’t me,” she said, standing in the room a few feet away from the table. “I swear, I’ve been good, please don’t-”   
  
Both Kyungsoo and Jongin’s eyes flicked up at her, and then over at one another, and then back again to her.    
  
“It’s nothing like that, love,” Jongin told her, pushing the chair out across from Kyungsoo and him with his foot. “This should be good, I promise. Just come sit.” he offered a reassuring smile, and Mingi shrugged her bag off her shoulder, letting it lay on the floor near the table as she sat down.   
  
“Your eighteenth birthday is soon,” Kyungsoo started, putting his papers away without looking up at her. “Do you know what that means?”   
  
“I can get a car?”   
  
Jongin couldn’t help but smile. “Perhaps. But we’re looking for a different answer.”   
  
Mingi’s heart dropped. The day she once looked forward to more than anything else, imagined so much, relied on so much, once knew exactly how many days and was the one thing keeping her going had turned into a distant thought these past few years, and, when resurfaced, was shoved back down with dread and fear and uncertainty.   
  
“I’m no longer apart of the foster care system.” she mumbled into the table. She, too, couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact.   
  
Kyungsoo, who was no longer preoccupied with his papers, folded his arms onto the table and leaned forward. “That’s what we want to talk about. You know we love you very-”   
  
“Please don’t send me back,” Mingi broke, unable to keep silent, unable to hold back. “Please, I’m so close to being eighteen, and then I’ll be out of your hair forever if that’s what you want. But please, the one thing I want and ask for is to stay here until I turn eighteen. Nothing else.”   
  
Again, Kyungsoo and Jongin exchanged glances.    
  
“That’s... not where we were going with it at all,” Jongin told her. “Like I said, this is much better. Just listen.”   
  
Kyungsoo sighed before he continued on. “You know we love and care for you very much, and we want the absolute best for you, no matter what that may be. But, legally, under the foster care system, when you turn eighteen, you’re no longer supported and have to find other means.”   
  
“Trust me, I’m all too familiar with that.” she mumbled.   
  
“We’ve found a little loophole, though,” Jongin said, taking a paper from Kyungsoo’s folder and sliding it across be table with his two fingers, as if he were in a movie, bribing someone secretly with some bills. “Adopted children can stay as long as they like, as the adoptive parents are seen as the legal guardians and caretakers of the child.”   
  
Mingi took the paper gingerly, and skimmed over it briefly before looking back up at them. “But I’m not adopted. I’m a foster child.”   
  
“I know some people,” Kyungsoo said, a small, smug smile playing at his lips. “Usually, the adoption process is long, perhaps impossible for some people - especially Nini and I - but it’s quicker when someone is coming out of the system. Even if you’re in the process, you still have the choice to remain in the foster home.”   
  
“Why are you telling me this?”   
  
She wanted to hear them say it. She didn’t want to build up false hope, pray for those words to fall upon her ears to only have it smashed and cracked and broken and scattered and torn.   
  
“Mingi, if you wanted to - and only if you wanted to, don’t feel like you have to, this is completely your decision and we support and understand it - we wanted to look into adopting you.”   
  
Mingi sat there, silent, unable to decide what to do with her feelings and how to execute them.   
  
“Of course, Min, if that’s not something you’re interested in, you’re still always welcome here, no matter what.” Kyungsoo added.   
  
“I mean, if you guys want to.” Mingi said quietly.   
  
“It’s only if you want it.” Jongin replied.     
  
“I’d love to.”   
  
Kyungsoo sighed again, harshly, as if letting out a breath he had been holding for as long as he could. “Oh my, I thought you were going to say no.” He put a hand over his heart.   
  
Mingi and Jongin laughed at that. “I had no doubts,” Jongin boasted. “I knew she would say yes. Why not? Besides, she’d miss Tegan too much if she left.”   
  
All three turned their attention to the tank of the aforementioned snake, and again, all three paled.   
  
“Where is she?” Mingi explored carefully.   
  
“Oh fuck.”    



End file.
